When Worlds Collide
by MrLotus
Summary: Leon and Vivian are two substitute Soul Guards from America sent to Japan to hunt a rogue Soul Guard by the name of Damien West, there they meet up with the Gotei Thirteen, and they witness the release of Aizen from arguably one of the most dangerous men in existence. Can they stop this menacing threat, or will the Soul Guards fall with the rest of the Seireitei. R
1. The Substitute Soul Guards

**Chapter 1: The Substitute Soul Guards**

A young man sprinted through the streets of a small town late one summer evening. The sun was rapidly setting as an earsplitting howl broke the serene twilight. The man held a fierce determination in his firm gaze as he sped across an intersection having to jump to avoid hitting a car stopped at a stop sign. "Whew that was close." The young man uttered to himself as he darted his brown eyes back at the vehicle.

Meanwhile, a young woman had also been racing towards the sound of the hollowing. "Oh man, he's gonna beat me to it again!" She utters in frustration under her breath as she careened around a corner of a restaurant as she drew ever closer to her destination. In her crisp blue eyes was the same determination as the young man she was seemingly racing against. "Just a little closer… I might make it!" She thought in desperation as she pulled a small and delicate looking scythe off of her back. "Break Loose! Thunder Hawk!" She called out before a gust of wind enveloped the scythe before changing shape allowing the once miniature weapon into an axe twice the original size. "Almost there!" She growled as she willed her speed to increase, and there it was, the source of the howling.

As dusk settled in, the young woman caught her first glimpse when a monster appeared under a streetlamp. "Harvest All Life! Pale Horse!" The young man called out, though unlike the young woman, his scythe didn't appear to change aside from the blade taking on a placidly white tint while the long handle darkened to jet black.

The woman slowed to a stop as she watched in defeat as the young man brought the monster down with one swing. "Tch, I realize it was weak, but for him to drop it this easily?" The woman wondered as she flipped her dark red hair away from her face. "That one was mine you know!" She called out with an agitated smirk.

The young man rose with a start before running a hand through his brown hair out of embarrassment. "Ah, well… Sorry Vivian… It's just, it's so nice to finally be home after they sent me to Alaska, you know the banshees up there are usually Legion and stronger?" He asked as his scythe changed back to normal as he placed it on his back.

"So, then you decide to come back and take my kill?" Vivian asked with a playful smirk.

"Well I had to show you how much stronger I got." The young man replied.

"I've already seen you take banshees down with your ascendance. A miniscule increase in strength and speed is hardly impressive Leon." Vivian replied as she shook her head with her eyes closed. "While you were gone these past few years I attained true transcendence!" She exclaimed triumphantly.

"What, when?" Leon asked in pleasant surprise as he flashed her a grin.

"A few weeks ago actually." Vivian replied with a cocky pride evident in her voice.

"Ha, beat you by a few months!" Leon exclaimed as he pounded his chest once as if demonstrating his superiority.

"No way, really?" Vivian asked somewhat deflated that her friend had beaten her to achieving _transcendence_.

"Yeah… General Blake helped me with the training." Leon replied with a shiver as he thought back to his time spent in Alaska.

"Okay, so what did the Master General want you to come back for?" Vivian asked nervously, and her nervousness intensified with the grim expression rapidly covering Leon's face.

"Apparently they found him… The one who made us what we are now… The old hag wants us to hunt him down." Leon replied, and Vivian glared at him.

"Why didn't you tell them no! We're not their servants just because they're willing to tolerate us, and why don't they do it if they managed to track him down?" Vivian asked angrily.

"Because full fledged Soul Guards can't invade foreign nations… But we can, and besides, don't you want to give him a good smack?" Leon asked with a smirk.

Vivian held her silence for a moment as he hand unconsciously drifted to a small, but very clear, scar just above and receding past the neckline of the skin-tight black long sleeved shirt under a jet black chest plate that was part of her standard Soul Guard's uniform. "Because we're substitutes." It was more of a statement than a question as she turned away in silent fury.

"That's right…" Leon uttered as he placed a comforting hand on the girl's shoulder. "Hey, it's Japan you know… Didn't you used to say you wanted to go there more than anything?" He asked with a caring grin.

Vivian quickly turned to her friend. "I can't believe you remembered that, but still, I don't want to go on business." She replied dismally.

"Well, who knows, if we can stop him fast enough, we'll be able to enjoy a little r-and-r." Leon replied. "Just wait, you'll see…" He uttered softly.

A few days later the two Soul Guards were stepping out of an airport in Japan. "Wow, I can't believe I'm actually here, and on the Soul Republic's budget at that!" Vivian exclaimed as she held her hand over her eyes as she took in the view of a large city in the distance.

"It's hot…" Leon uttered as he wiped away sweat that had already began to accumulate on his forehead. "Hey remember, we may not be the only people like us in the area… It may be only one, but we have to be careful to steer clear of any foreign Soul Guards." He whispered.

"Don't worry, I know how important it is to avoid detection… We _do_ get news of fallen Soul Guards back in Ohio." Vivian whispered back irritably.

It took another hour before the two arrived at a luxurious hotel, and once Leon paid the cabdriver, and after the two verified their reservation, they were shocked to discover they had to share a room. "So… I get the couch I take it?" Leon asked with a goofy grin as he looked at a red-faced Vivian.

"I swear, if you grope me while I'm sleeping, I will kill you." Vivian warned flatly as she set her suitcase down next to the only bed.

"Vivian, you don't need to slander me, and besides, I figured it'd be better to search at night anyway. Less spiritual signatures to sift through." Leon replied defensively.

"Alright, but should I take it that I should search during the day?" Vivian asked, and while it clearly was not expressed in her question, Leon was sharp enough to get what she meant.

"Hmm, I don't think he'll move around in the daytime, but then again, I guess we can only be too careful… Maybe it would be best to see if we can't get a little local help." Leon replied tentatively, though Vivian knew him well enough to know he was speaking more to himself than to her.

"So, you want to get settled in before we start the hunt?" Vivian asked as she plopped down on the bed.

"That eager to get rid of me?" Leon asked as he cocked an eyebrow.

"Well my boyfriend is coming by, and I tend to not want other guys around for that." Vivian replied with a coy grin.

"Oh-ho-ho, I will keep that in mind for future reference. Catch you later." Leon replied with a smirk before pressing a skull-shaped badge against his chest, and with a flash of light his spiritual body shot out of his physical one. From neck to foot, he was covered in a black skin suit covered by a black chest plate and black boots, and strapped to his back by spiritual power alone, his trusted partner Pale Horse. "Be back by morning." He finished before passing clean through the window as he jumped to the adjacent rooftop.

Dusk was rapidly setting as Leon performed a quick scan of the city. "Nothing…" He uttered in disappointment, but as he was turning to leave he stopped before jerking his head toward the suburbs east of the city. "Hmm, so banshees appear here as well?" He wondered as he vanished into thin air, and a moment later he was looking down on a similar monster to the one he felled a few nights earlier. "Tch, not even a demonic banshee… And here I was hoping for a - hmm?" He paused as he felt another spiritual signature surface, and instinctively he hid his own as he dropped to the ground, still unnoticed by the monster. "Something else is coming." He thought as he narrowed his eyes on the banshee before a tall figure covered in a black cloak appeared before the monster, and even though he had just talked about avoiding others like him, he was mesmerized by the drastic differences between him and the orange haired man his eyes were glued to. "His armor, it's so loose, almost like a samurai…" He uttered as his eyes widened while the young man defeated the banshee with one attack. "I have to meet him." He decided before vanishing once again.

The young man with orange hair held a smirk on his face as a young woman with jet black hair and a wooden object strapped to her arm watched him perform a simple feet of placing the handle of his massive curved sword against the head of a glowing old lady. "You know, sometimes it's nice to not have to worry about just destroying hollows." The young woman stated merrily. "Wouldn't you agree Ichigo? Ichigo?" She asked as she turned to the young Shinigami to find a stunned expression on his face, and tracing his line of sight, it became apparent why.

"Um, howdy, my name is Leon Pain, and I come in peace." Leon uttered nervously.

"Stand back Rukia, we don't know anything about this guy, and you, what are you, hollow, Shinigami, Quincy, or are you a fullbringer?" Ichigo asked as he pointed Zangetsu at the young man in front of him.

"Who, I don't recognize any but a few words. What's a Shinigami?" Leon asked nervously as he reached back for his scythe.

"Are you serious? You can see us which means you have to have a seriously significant reiatsu." Ichigo replied irritably.

"Ray-what? Um, could you speak in complete English please?" Leon asked in frustrated confusion, and Rukia and Ichigo exchanged blank stares, and instantly Ichigo flinched as he knew all too well what his midget friend was going to do next.

"We, being me and my friend here, are Shinigami, we possess what is called reiryoku, or you could say it's spiritual power, and reiatsu is the wave of power that gently radiates from all things." Rukia explained with Chappy pictures.

"Uh-huh, so if I got this correct, you guys are something like Soul Guards, and this reiryoku stuff is soul power, and reiatsu or whatever is a spirit signature, okay, what about Quincys?" Leon asked, and again Rukia started drawing pictures.

"Quincys are like us, sort of, like us they fight hollows, but unlike us who purify the hollows, the Quincys utterly destroy them." Rukia explained.

"And hollows would be banshees? That monster you just destroyed?" Leon asked, and Ichigo gave a hesitant nod. "What's wrong with you?" He asked upon noticing Ichigo's scowl for the first time.

"I can tell you're not a threat, but you didn't answer my question." Ichigo replied.

"Alright, not sure how you do things with whatever order you come from, but let me explain a little about what a Soul Guard is. A Soul Guard, is a person that died, was reborn in the afterlife, and went on to become a powerful warrior charged with the protection of souls as we guide them to the afterlife, or we vanquish banshees who try to eat them." Leon explained. "Well real Soul Guards do anyway…" He finished rather disappointed.

"Real Soul Guards?" Rukia asked before grinning at Ichigo.

"Well, I'm a sub really, I was tricked by a man named Damien West, and well… Hey that badge!" Leon exclaimed upon noticing the badge at Ichigo's waist. "You're a substitute too!" He continued gleefully, and a shocked Ichigo slowly lowered Zangetsu.

"Rukia, is it possible that this man could be some kind of foreign Shinigami?" Ichigo asked nervously.

"I think we should at least take him to meet Urahara." Rukia replied calmly.

"U-ra-ha-ra…" Leon slowly tried to pronounce the name to make sure he sounded right. "Is this person like you guys?" He asked with a heavy sense of intrigue on his face. He knew it was dangerous to be so cavalier, but he had to know more about the Japanese Soul Guards he just met, these _Shinigami_, the word echoing through his mind sounded cool enough to him, and besides, they seemed just as interested in figuring out more about him.

"Something like that, he's more of a consultant nowadays." Rukia replied with a grin.

"Great, I can't wait to meet him." Leon replied before the group vanished into the night air.

After a few minutes, the three settled in a seemingly abandoned lot in front of a worn candy shop. "We're here." Ichigo stated with a sense of annoyance in his voice.

As Leon followed the two Shinigami toward the shop he took account of the sword at the girl's hip and the even bigger one on the boy's back. "Could those be their reaper-blades?" He wondered as his eyes darted back and forth. "Do they have transcendence or just ascendance?" He wondered as he began to feel nervous. "Yeah, the guy definitely has transcendence or is about to achieve it, but the girl… It is possible." He decided quietly while Rukia knocked loudly on the door.

As the group waited for an answer, Leon suddenly jerked his head to the right just before Vivian landed right in front of him. "You dumbass! You go on about the importance of avoiding locals, and you go up and introduce yourself, tell me again why I shouldn't kick your ass!?" She shouted before punching Leon in the jaw.

"Ugh, because you just did?" Leon asked as he rubbed his chin.

"Don't give me your sarcasm you bastard!" Vivian shouted, and with a sudden kick she managed to drop Leon to the ground as he rubbed his shin.

"Alright, alright! I'm sorry, just stop kicking me, you hit like a guy!" Leon knew he had made a bad choice of words as he immediately covered his mouth, but it was too late, and Rukia and Ichigo stood by in stunned silence as they watched the two go at it until the girl was satisfied with the steady stream of blood flowing from Leon's nose. "Well, now that that's over, time for some introductions, guys, this is my fellow substitute Soul Guard, and part-time best friend, Vivian Gray. Vivian this is, uh…" He trailed off when he realized he didn't exactly know their names.

"Kuchiki Rukia, and this is Kurosaki Ichigo." Rukia replied with a bow while Vivian smacked Leon on the back of the head.

"Did you tell her everything?" Vivian asked angrily.

"No, I hadn't got the chance to fully explain when they said I needed to meet this Ura-something-guy." Leon replied.

"It's actually Urahara Kisuke." Urahara stated as he slid open the door to his shop, and instantly his eyes focused on the two foreigners. "Ooh, well isn't this a fascinating development?" He asked as he fanned his face.

"Urahara-san, may we come in?" Rukia asked with a bow.

"Certainly Rukia-chan, come on in." Urahara replied in a singsong voice.

Once inside, the Shinigami and Soul Guards huddled around a small round table joined by Urahara and Yoruichi. "Huh, you know they kind of do look like Shinigami, until you take in their uniforms." Yoruichi replied with a puzzled look.

"Um, Urahara, what are those swords?" Vivian asked as she pointed at the massive sword on Ichigo's back.

"It's called a zanpakuto. It starts as a plain katana mostly, and then with proper training the Shinigami forges from it a shikai and a bankai." Urahara explained. "And the scythe on your backs?" He asked in return.

"Reaper-blades." Leon answered for Vivian. "It's similar to your zanpakutos, but with different terminology and appearance. We have what is called ascendance, where a fraction of the reaper-blade's true power is at our command, and transcendence where we receive all of the reaper-blades power." He continued while Vivian gave him a worried look.

"I have to ask-" Vivian was cut off by Leon.

"Don't bother…" Leon uttered.

"What, you don't even know what I was going to ask." Vivian shot back in a hurt tone of voice.

"You were about to ask if they've seen anyone dressed like us, but can't you tell that they obviously haven't?" Leon asked.

"Oh, I guess you're right." Vivian replied meekly.

"Getting back to the topic, this transcendence, do you possess that skill?" Urahara asked.

"Well… Yes, but if your next question is to see it, I'm sorry, but I can't demonstrate it… It's too dangerous." Leon replied.

"How so?" Urahara asked intrigued by Leon's air of mystery.

"Because it has a terrifying passive ability… When I activate it, it draws all soul power in of every living thing… It was classified as a banshee-blade by the Master General." Leon explained. "It will continue to draw in the power until there's either nothing left for it to take it, or I activate it's aggressive abilities." He continued.

"Hmm, how disappointing." Urahara replied. "Hmm, a bankai-like ability that can suck things dry of their reiryoku? That is somewhat like a hollow's power… I wonder…" He thought as he stared off into space.

"So do you guys have anything like shunpo?" Yoruichi asked. "To clarify it's an ability to run faster than one can see." She continued.

"Oh, like the phantom sprint?" Leon asked. "Figured that much out years ago." He continued.

"Wanna race?" Yoruichi challenged Leon with a grin, but the young man hesitated while his friend shot up to her feet.

"You're on!" Vivian exclaimed confidently.

Leon sat in awkward silence until the two women left before continuing on. "So tell me, do either of you have transcendence?" Leon asked in a state of extreme curiosity.

"Well not sure if it's the same, but I can invoke a bankai." Ichigo replied cockily.

"Wow, I bet your really strong." Leon uttered. "But then again, I did soar to a General's level of soul power so…" He trailed off as he seemed to stare off into space for a second before he shot straight up. "He… He's close." He uttered, but a moment later he furrowed his brow in frustration. "And gone, but that was definitely Damien." He continued as he sat back down.

"So that taichou class reiatsu was that man West-san?" Ichigo asked with a serious expression on his face. "It appeared and disappeared in the blink of an eye, and it was all around the city as if he was everywhere at once." He uttered in confusion.

"So is the ability of his Infinity Mirror… It's his reaper-blade, its ascendance is bad enough. It first allows him to take the form of anything he wants, but in transcendence it just gets flat out ridiculous… An infinite number, only limited by his strength, but he can generate fully functioning clones of himself… Granted they're vastly weaker, they can still be extremely dangerous, and they can use any ability he can bar his reaper-blade abilities, and just for fun, the passive ability of both ascendance and transcendence is that his spiritual signature grows drastically in size, but man could you imagine if he somehow had the golden power to increase his overall soul power?" Leon asked after his explanation.

"That's very similar to Aizen's Kyoka Suigetsu…" Ichigo thought while Rukia began to grimace at the memories of Aizen's betrayal brought up to the surface by the similarities in his and Damien's powers.

"Ichigo… We have to help him." Rukia whispered. "This man was a problem of theirs, and now he is here… A man with power similar to Aizen's comes from a foreign land to where he could enter the Soul Society." She continued in hushed tones.

"So what about you, how strong is the strongest you've fought?" Leon asked breaking the two Shinigami out of their private conversation.

"Pain-san was it? How would you like to come with us to the Soul Society, there is much to discuss that could pertain to this West-san you mention." Rukia pipes up.

"Huh? Why?" Leon asked curiously.

"I can't say for sure yet, it's more of a suspicion really, but the thing is, there's someone we have locked up with powers very similar to what you just described, and as such I think it could very well be possible that this isn't just a random coincidence, this West-san coming here." Rukia explained.

"Ah, so a share for a share, I tell you all I know in case Damien is planning to release this Aizen-guy, and in the event that he succeeds, I'll have information on your prisoner… Yeah I think that would probably be for the best." Leon replied tentatively. "Not to mention that old hag would probably flip a gasket if she found out I was going to a foreign version Soul Republic!" He thought gleefully. "Oh we just need to wait on Vivian and the woman." He continued as an afterthought.

"Well while not technically outlawed in Soul Society, Yoruichi and I prefer the simplicity of the living world." Urahara replied with a grin.

"Oh, so are you a Shinigami or are you just a spiritually aware human?" Leon asked as he tried his hardest not to let an uncomfortable silence set it.

"Oh I'm a Shinigami alright, and I used to be a taichou at that, but…" Urahara paused as he pulled his hat down over his eyes.

"Nah don't sweat it, if it was a painful memory I won't press you." Leon replied thoughtfully.

"Hmm, this kid is certainly interesting, and that weapon… It doesn't feel anything like the girl's reaper-blade, and hers felt close to that of a Shinigami's zanpakuto. Just what is he?" Urahara wondered a moment before the two women came back inside.

"He's taunting us, and Yoruichi says he might be after someone called Aizen." Vivian uttered irritably as she sat down next to Leon.

"Yeah, that's what these guys are thinking." Leon replied as he motioned to Urahara. "What do you say to going to their Soul Republic though?" He asked nervously as he rubbed the girl's back to try and calm the girl's trembling rage.

"Do you really think it's a smart idea?" Vivian asked worriedly.

"Why not? We're all on the same side, and we can help them out. This Aizen guy is only going to get help from the _one_ Damien West, they on the other hand get two General class Soul Guards." Leon replied.

"Well…" Vivian paused as she locked eyes with Leon, his firm unwavering eyes that always somehow managed to drain all of the resistance from her body. "Fine, but we need to be careful in how we deal with the local authority, they may not play by the same rules as us." She continued in hushed tones.

"Don't worry, I've got your back." Leon replied before turning back to Urahara with a firm nod following.

"That's what worries me." Vivian thought with a sigh.

"Perfect, follow me Leon-kun." Urahara replied with a cheesy grin.

"What does that mean? -Kun?" Leon asked as the group stood up before heading outside. At least this was another thing the two groups shared in common, that the entrances to their Soul Republics required an open space.

"It's a term of endearment usually given to little boys." Ichigo replied for Urahara.

"Little boys?" Leon asked as he cocked an eyebrow. "I'm twenty-two years hold, and have been a substitute Soul Guard for eight years now, I hardly think I'm just some little boy." He explained irritably before a large gate appeared before them, a little different in appearance, but it was unmistakably the entrance to the Shinigami's Soul Republic, or Soul Society as they had put it.

"So Leon-kun, are you ready to see the Seireitei?" Urahara asked once more putting a look of confusion on the faces of the two Soul Guards before the group passed though the Senkaimon, and into the Soul Society.

Chapter 1 - end - So what do y'all think, this is the first installment in a new series entitle When World's Collide, yeah cliché I know, and I bet you can see where the title makes sense, never the less notable differences are as follows: shikai = ascendance, bankai = transcendence, reaper-blade = zanpakuto (though the reaper-blade in sealed form is always a scythe) Kido = Demon Arts, Hado = Path of Destruction, Bakudo = Path of Binding, shunpo = phantom sprint, and yes all reaper-blades names and release commands will be English as it is the American version of Shinigami, and another difference is that Soul Society = Soul Republic (of course they aren't the same exact place, but are equivalent. Anyway R&R

(Phantom sprints to grab my reaper-blade, Transcendence!)

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or any of the original characters, story elements, and abilities, all rights to tite kubo


	2. The Taichou

**Chapter 2: The Taichou  
**

The group was walking along a dark dank tunnel. As Rukia and Ichigo kept looking back to check on their new friends, they kept having to remind themselves that it'd be natural they wouldn't be surprised by the Dongai Precipice World. Still, it was rather unsettling for the two to be as calm as they were. "Well me personally, I wouldn't mind participating in a few sparring matches." Leon replied casually. "I would love to see those shikai and bankai things!" He continued excitedly.

"Well, I know you've had yours longer, but can even you properly control your transcendence?" Vivian asked nervously. "I just received Thunder Hawk's transcendence… I don't really know how to use it yet…" She uttered nervously, and Ichigo gave her a sympathetic look.

"I remember when I achieved bankai… It was to save Rukia-chan's life… And I didn't have time to master it and perfect it by then either, but it was alright, a lot of Tensa Zangetsu's abilities came natural. What I mean is, your zan-I-mean reaper-blade knows you and you know it, so have a little more confidence in it." Ichigo spoke up.

"Really? So when did you obtain it, and for that matter when did you become a Soul Guard, or rather, Shinigami?" Vivian asked just before a bright light shown from the end of the tunnel.

"Well it was about a decade ago now, and I was fifteen." Ichigo replied. "Rukia here's been a Shinigami since she graduated from the academy." He continued.

"So she's a natural… Yeah, she does have that certain feel about her, the one that screams of years of experience." Leon replied just before the group left the tunnel.

Waiting in the blinding sunlight were several Shinigami, but unlike the ones they had met so far, Leon and Vivian noted the most obvious difference of a presence of a white coat ceremoniously worn by some strong Soul Guards, or, Shinigami. "Kuchiki-Fukutaichou, Kurosaki-san, welcome back… Hn? Who are those two souls?" Kyoraku asked with a leveled grin.

"Um, can we talk somewhere a little cooler, the heat is killing me!" Leon exclaimed as he wiped away more sweat.

"Hmm? Foreigners?" Ukitake uttered in intrigue as the present Shinigami exchanged varied glances. "What are your names children?" He continued in a light wheeze.

"Again with the young-uns comments. My friend and I are both adults." Leon replied. "But to answer your question, my name is Leon Pain, and this is Vivian Gray." He continued as he extended his hand to Kyoraku who simply looked down at it in confusion.

"What's this?" Kyoraku asked with an amused grin.

"Huh? Oh, well as a sign of respect, I was offering to shake your hand." Leon replied.

"A sign of respect?" Kyoraku asked as he looked back down on Leon's hand.

"Well maybe some other time then." Leon replied nervously as he put his hand down at his side. "You're uniform, it's different than the one the Soul Guards wear." He continued. "And that coat, I take it you guys are the generals?" He asked as he looked around the group.

"Kyoraku-Soutaichou, might I have a chance to study them, I am very fascinated by their presence." Kurotsuchi piped up.

"What!? Study us!?" Vivian shrieked as she immediately thought of alien abductions.

"Calm down Vivian, and that won't be happening your sick weirdo." Leon replied as he glared at the eccentric Taichou.

"And what do a couple of foreigners have to say in the matter? Until one of us opens the Senkaimon, or you figure it out yourself, you will remain in our custody." Komamura growled.

"When dogs growl at strangers it's usually a good sign they're bad." Soifon added on, and Leon slowly reached back for his reaper-blade while letting out a small pulse of his spiritual signature.

"I like to think of myself more as a guard dog, I'll play nice, but threaten me and mine, and I'll tear you apart." Leon replied coolly while each of the Taichou drew their zanpakutos.

"Uh, Rukia-chan, do you think we might have marched them to a death sentence?" Ichigo asked nervously.

"Wait, we'll try and break things up in a minute, but I want to see how they handle themselves." Rukia replied as she narrowed her eyes on the two Soul Guards. There wasn't anything sadistic about her words, and Ichigo knew that Rukia picked up on the same thing Urahara had told him about Leon's reiatsu after holding him back from the Senkaimon earlier.

"Yeah… You're right." Ichigo whispered, and as he looked around at the taichou ready to attack, he noticed a look of acknowledgement in Byakuya's eyes.

"I will silence this runt." Byakuya stated regally as he approached Leon while holding his arm out signaling to the rest of the taichou to give him some room.

"Tch, these bastards, if I live through this, I'm gonna have to kick that Urahara-guy's ass!" Leon thought as he looked back at Vivian with a fierceness in his eyes that silently communicated the same order to her that Byakuya had just given, and she backed away several yards.

"I'll say this once boy, cease hostilities and surrender now." Byakuya stated calmly, but imposingly.

"Yeah he's a general alright." Leon uttered before retrieving Pale Horse from his back while Byakuya drew Senbonzakura. "Harvest All Life! Pale Horse!" He cried out, and once more the silvery blade turned a pale white while the staff turned jet black.

"So that would be their shikai." Byakuya thought as he lifted Senbonzakura. "Chire, Senbonzakura." He stated calmly before his blade dispersed into hundreds of tiny cherry-blossom shaped blades of pink death.

"The petals move fast, I bet lower levels probably couldn't even see them." Leon thought as he evaded the petals. "So they follow me wherever I try to run, even if it's by his will it's still an impressive ascendance, or is this his transcendence?" He wondered as he narrowed his eyes.

"The boy only seems interested in dodging for the time being, that's rather smart, but against Kuchiki-Taichou, it's a foolish endeavor that will quickly tire him out." Kyoraku thought as he watched Leon dodging strike after strike from the hundreds of petal blades.

"Okay, I think I have it pretty much figured out now… Time for some offensive maneuvers." Leon thought before jumping up into the sky. "Ye lord! Mask of blood and flesh, all creation, flutter of wings, ye who bears the name of Man! Inferno and pandemonium, the sea barrier surges, march on to the south! Path of Destruction number thirty-one, Red Fire…" He paused before vanishing with the aid of his phantom sprint, and he reappeared down in front of Byakuya. "Cannon!" He shouted before firing it up at the Taichou, but the incantation gave his attack away, and it slammed into a wall of the petal blades. "Tch, those petals are really pissing me off, it's about time for them to die…" He grunted before taking his scythe in both hands. "Wither!" He called out as he swung his scythe around releasing a brownish-green haze, but what stunned Byakuya was not the ability, but rather that his zanpakuto's shikai was dying before his very eyes, and he was left with no other option but to withdraw Senbonzakura.

"Senbonzakura is very weak… You, what was that ability just now?" Byakuya asked with a stony glare.

"It was the power of my Pale Horse. The ability to drain the life of something, and the transcendence makes it even stronger." Leon replied.

"Show me… Bankai." Byakuya replied as he dropped his zanpakuto into the ground before two rows of massive blades rose up out of the ground.

"Tch, so this is a bankai, I knew I said I wanted to fight one, but I wasn't thinking anything serious like this." Leon uttered. "But whatever, if that's what he wants, it's what he'll get! Transcendence!" He shouted before a rush of power exploded from within him.

Byakuya looked on with cautious intrigue as he waited for the dust to settled, but even before it had completely settled Byakuya could already feel his reiryoku draining away. "This feeling… It's what I imagined it would feel like to be devoured by a hollow." He continued, and when the dust finally cleared he narrowed his eyes on Leon.

No longer appearing as a young man, the transcended form of Leon was cloaked in a blacked hooded robe, and his scythe was grotesque in its skeletal appearance, and he managed to hover a few feet off of the ground without seeming to even try, but by far the most horrifying aspect was that the Soul Guard's skin had withered away leaving the speechless taichou staring at something truly resembling the Grim Reaper. "Herald of Death, Pale Horse." Leon croaked in a deep raspy voice.

"So you _have_ obtained bankai, though I regret to say it is by far one of the most atrocious things I've ever seen." Byakuya stated as his legs began to feel wobbly. "I'll need to take care of things quickly." He decided before launching his attack, but before the petal blades could close the distance, they began to fall out of the air within feet of their target.

"I'll tell you this once Mr. Shinigami, you don't have the ability to fight me, not with the way your reaper-blade's power is constructed. Those petals, I see how they can be formidable to most, but to someone like me, they'll never come close to reaching me, let alone touching me, and even further from defeating me." Leon replied, but with a soft grunt, the cloak disappeared while the scythe reverted to its sealed form, Leon had run out of soul power.

Byakuya looked stunned as he watched the skin and hair slowly return to the young man before him. "Your abilities, formidable though they may be, have a serious drawback. When you drain something of its reiryoku, you don't receive it do you, but rather you use yours to smother others' with an inability to control it… It is impressive, but it is still a young bankai." The normally stoic taichou explained as he looked down on Leon with softened eyes.

"Yeah… I still have a lot of work… Still your transcendence was something else entirely, if I had developed my reaper-blade in any other way, you'd be a very tough opponent." Leon replied with a grin. "Thanks for the match." He continued with a grin as he held out his hand, and this time he was surprised when the man he had been fighting shook his hand.

"Certainly, I would also say that I would wish to test my abilities against you again in the future." Byakuya replied.

"Anyway, does that satisfy enough of your curiosity Kurotsuchi-Taichou?" Kyoraku asked condescendingly.

"Bah! This man is nothing more than another kind of Shinigami, nothing interesting in the least!" Kurotsuchi replied in frustration.

"So about talking some place cooler, I think it's very important we talk about Damien West soon… Oh and that Aizen guy." Leon stated in an attempt to get back to more important matters.

"Aizen? What could you need to know, we have him locked up so tight he'll never escape!" Soifon exclaimed angrily while she drew Suzumebachi. "I don't doubt that there is going to be an attempt made to free the bastard, but all we have is _your_ word that it isn't _you_!" She shouted.

"So another fight? Ugh, I can take you no problem!" Leon shouted as he drew his reaper-blade before Soifon attacked.

"Should we stop them now?" Ichigo asked Rukia.

"Not yet, his reiatsu feels even stranger than before." Rukia replied nervously.

"Damn, I get into one fight right after another, I don't think Pale Horse can handle the strain." Leon thought in desperation.

"Then let me take a swing!" A voice echoed through Leon's mind, he knew it wasn't the voice of Pale Horse, and he had already been checked for banshee contamination when he first achieved his ascendance, but their was definitely a second voice.

"Who… Who are you!?" Leon called back in his mind.

"Oh come on now, you know my name, you just forgot!" The voice called back in a sickeningly sweet tone.

"Are you kidding me? I already know the name of my reaper-blade, or are you an inner banshee?" Leon asked mentally as he struggled to keep focused on Soifon's attacks.

"I'm no banshee, and I am aware of Pale Horse's presence, but here I am, and together we will be forever more!" The voice echoed back as she seemed to sing the words.

"So another reaper-blade spirit… No wonder the old hag wanted me at the r-and-d department in Alaska, that woman knows everything." Leon uttered. "Name… Name… Name… What's the name…" He wondered before his eyes widened as far as they could. "Fill the World With Chaos! Crimson Horse!" He called out, and nobody was spared the shock of seeing him release his power in a completely different way than he just did, and in his hand was a massive scythe radiating a black smog. The very sight of this new ascendance made Leon feel empowered, confident enough to take on an army, but before he could take a single step, six rods of light slammed his midsection before Vivian appeared in front of him.

"What is this!" Vivian shouted as she glared daggers at Leon. "When were you going to tell me this happened?" She continued slightly calmer, but still very upset.

"W-wait Vivian this is-" Leon was interrupted by Vivian.

"I don't want to hear your lame excuses! I can understand you not wanting to tell the Soul Guards, but I'm your best friend, couldn't you trust me?" Vivian asked angrily as she gave him a disgusted glare.

"It isn't like that, you know I would tell you about it if I didn't just learn about it myself!" Leon shouted back. "Now can you please release the binds!" He shouted.

Vivian glared at Leon for a few minutes before turning away. "I don't believe you…" She uttered in a volume barely above a whisper before phantom sprinting away with Soifon chasing her down a second later.

"Tch, I get thrown a curveball and she absolutely refuses to acknowledge it." Leon uttered as he remained fixed in place.

"I knew there was something off about you." Rukia uttered as she approached Leon before placing a hand on one of the rods of yellow light before they all shattered. "So, by the look on your face I'm guessing your friend's reaction isn't the only thing that just came as a shock to you." She continued just as the taichou returned yet again.

"Can we stop it with the sudden battles already?" Ukitake wheezed with a faint smile.

"As long as you guys stop attacking me." Leon replied before staring back up at the head of the massive scythe easily three times larger than its sealed form. "Crimson Horse… You know, I have a feeling there'll be four in all." He continued before sealing his reaper-blade.

"Four? What makes you think that?" Kyoraku replied in curiosity.

"Well it has to do with old mythology, the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Conquest, riding on a white horse, War riding on a red horse, Famine riding on a black horse, and Death riding on a pale horse. Four in total, two of which are identities of my reaper-blade… So that's why I believe there'll be two others. I used to assume that there was just three other Soul Guards with the other three, but now I know that my reaper-blade has split-personality-disorder." Leon explained.

"We can hear you, you know." Pale Horse called back in a similar raspy voice to Leon's while using his transcendence.

"Or maybe not." Leon replied with a shrug.

"Well you look like you're about to keel over from heat exhaustion, Kyoraku-Soutaichou, would I be permitted to treat him before he has a heat stroke?" Kotetsu Isane asked nervously.

"Yes Isane-chan, and Byakuya-kun, do go and make sure Soifon-Taichou doesn't kill our other guest." Kyoraku ordered, and with a low grumble from Byakuya and a bow from Isane, the two vanished using shunpo.

When Isane and Leon arrived at the Fourth-Division barracks, Leon was a little under-whelmed with how relaxed things were. In the Soul Republic the medical centers were always packed, but then again many Soul Guards thrived on prestige alone, and would often venture foolishly into the unforgiving world of the banshees. Still though, despite his minor disappointment he was still relieved to be receiving treatment so quickly. "You're lucky you know… She was cautious just now, testing your ability and such. Had she been serious you might not have survived the match." Isane explained warmly as her former captain always tried to do.

"Yeah, no kidding." Leon uttered before wincing when Isane gave him a shot on his upper arm.

"There, you should feel perfectly hydrated momentarily." Isane replied as she dabbed Leon's forehead with a cool damp cloth. "So can you tell me more about where you come from? I mean, is it set up like our Soul Society?" She asked.

"Well yes and no… You guys seem to have a certain feel about you, it's like, you have compassion for the banshees, you understand that it wasn't by choice that they became dangerous soul eaters." Leon replied with a warm grin that quickly faded. "But back home we hear reports all the time about Soul Guards charging into Dark-World, and they get in over their head, and their loved ones are left to pick up the pieces. It's extremely reckless, but they only care about results, and that is something drilled into every cadet." He continued.

"Wow, that sounds barbaric!" Isane shrieked.

"Yeah, but General James Parker is a great healer, I guess he'd be like the _you_ of the Soul Guards, but if the Soul Guard has been dead for only a few minutes, he can revive them with the power of his transcendence… I've seen it before… On Vivian." Leon replied shakily.

"You… Watched your friend die?" Isane asked.

"Yeah, and I know what you're probably thinking, "she's alive so I shouldn't be bothered", right? But that's just it, I saw it, I know how bad it hurt and how bad it will hurt again when we are inevitably separated, and I can't smother these worries and anxieties… It sometimes makes it hard to be around her." Leon explained.

"Well to be honest, whoever would tell you that is insane, even if the person was brought back, the memory still lives on, and you can't change the emotion you felt at the time, that will always be a part of your memory, but it's how you choose to let it affect you now… That's what counts, or are you going to keep torturing yourself with the memory?" Isane asked.

"That completely contradicted itself, but I think I get what you're getting at… Thanks Isane-Taichou." Leon replied with a grin.

"Hey look at that, some of our terminology is sticking yet." Isane replied. "But to be honest my title would be Kotetsu-Taichou, but please, Kotetsu-san is fine." She continued.

"Well what about Isane-chan? That's a suffix for girls right? It just makes me feel like we can't be friends if I only refer to you by your last name, it is your last name right?" Leon asked, and Isane let out a few chuckles.

"Well alright, but if I come pounding on your door at night because my boyfriend dumped me, I expect you to listen to every sad detail!" Isane joked.

"No problem." Leon replied.

"So what can you tell me about your two shikais Leon-kun?" Isane asked warmly.

"Well I was feeling a bit different since I arrived in Japan, but I just thought it was jetlag or something, anyway, it was in my fight against that woman that I started to hear a second voice from my reaper-blade." Leon explained.

"So your reaper-blade is not unlike a zanpakuto… Interesting, and I'm assuming based on that girl's reaction, it is as unheard of where you come from as it is here?" Isane asked, and Leon flinched under the question. "Don't worry, as long as I can help it, no repercussions will come from the truth." She assured him.

"Well no… Each one only has one spirit in the scythe." Leon replied nervously. "Are you sure I can't get in trouble for this? I mean, I heard a few years ago that three Soul guards gave birth to the same reaper-blade, and they were forced to fight to the death. So can you see how this might cause problems?" He asked.

"Yes, well the other taichou are probably talking about just that right now, but don't worry, there are people of understanding, among them, and even then they can't come to a decision until all taichou have given their input." Isane replied.

"Thanks Isane-chan, I feel a little better now." Leon replied with a weak grin.

"Don't mention it, but aside from that, are you feeling better physically? The medicine I gave you should make the temperature feel a few degrees cooler." She continued.

"Now that you mention it, you're right." Leon replied as his eyes widened. "General Parker would love this medicine." He continued.

"What are they like, the generals?" Isane asked.

"Huh? Well there are fifteen in all, and as a strict requirement they have to have transcendence, and they are all distinguished by their white chest plates." Leon replied as he held a hand to his chest. "Their Majors each have grey chest plates but they aren't required to have transcendence, but a lot of them do." He continued.

"And transcendence is the complete release of your weapon, I think I'm starting to understand… You Soul Guards, varying on a few instances, are really just another breed of Shinigami." Isane pointed out.

"Yeah, I guess we are… There certainly are enough similarities between our groups." Leon agreed.

"So, are you a seated officer, a rank I'm guessing is right below your Majors, or are you an unseated officer, basically a foot soldier?" Isane asked.

"Well I'm actually not in the Soul Guard forces, Vivian and I are substitutes." Leon replied.

"Like Kurosaki Ichigo!" Isane exclaimed.

"Yeah, Rukia said something like that earlier." Leon replied. "Is that going to be a problem here?" He asked as he tensed up.

"Oh no, but we will be assigning you a representative badge so we can monitor you, it's nothing against you, more of a security measure for the souls of the living." Isane replied.

"What like this?" Leon asked as he pulled out his Soul Guard badge.

"Why, yes actually, where did you get that?" Isane asked.

"Well, it's a pretty long story, and it has a lot to do with why we're here now, so could that wait until we speak with the other taichou?" Leon asked.

"Well, yes, and I'm glad you said something, because I almost forgot about the meeting." Isane replied embarrassedly as she rubbed the back of her head.

"Well we better hurry then." Leon replied before the two left the office.

Meanwhile, Vivian had no destination in mind as she raced from rooftop to rooftop before the Second-Division Taichou cut her off. "What do you think you're doing girl?" Soifon asked in a blatantly hostile way.

"You wouldn't understand, just let me go, I'd rather be alone." Vivian replied as she looked away, and something clicked in Soifon's mind, she had seen this appearance once before, it was shortly after Yoruichi vanished from her life, a look that betrayed her thoughts, thoughts dwelling on betrayal from the one they trusted the most, a feeling she had once held.

Soifon gave a strained sigh as she placed a comforting hand on the girl's shoulder. "Then help me understand." She said as compassionately as she could manage.

Vivian turned away, looking at a massive cliff not far off, it seemed like a place where she would have no problem finding solitude. "Think we can talk up there?" She asked nervously.

"Follow me." Soifon replied before vanishing with shunpo, and Vivian followed her with phantom sprint. A moment later the two were on Sokyoku Hill. "You're shunpo is pretty impressive, so what can you tell me?" Soifon asked as the two sat down on the edge of the cliff overlooking the Seireitei.

"Well my friend Leon, I've always trusted him… He knew what I was going through while I slowly transitioned into being a substitute Soul Guard, and he helped me adapt, not that he was an expert going through the change himself. It seemed that he was always a few steps or rather weeks ahead of me, but it didn't bother me much because everything he achieved gave me the drive to achieve it as well, transcendence excluded though as he was out of state in the few years leading up to my first transcendence, but…" Vivian paused, she was beginning to feel like crap, sure his power was a surprise to her, and for that she felt hurt, but Leon looked just as surprised, and afraid.

"I saw the look in his eyes, not blinking once as we clashed blade against blade, there was a point when a look of confusion glossed over his eyes, and I can bet that was when he heard the second voice for the first time." Soifon replied. "It doesn't seem like it was something he intentionally hid from you, gained while the two of you were apart. That was the look of a Shinigami looking upon a newfound power for the first time. Be thankful he didn't know, not offended that _you_ didn't." She explained further.

"You think?" Vivian asked as tears of guilt and regret stung her eyes.

"Take it from someone who knows, you don't want to keep these negative feelings until you see each other again, I did and was almost prepared to make a very grave mistake with Yoruichi-sama." Soifon replied solemnly.

"That lady back at Mr. Urahara's shop?" Vivian asked.

"Yeah, for some sick reason she prefers his company over ours." Soifon replied with a hint of bitter resentment in her voice.

"I see…" Vivian replied.

"So, if you're feeling better, would you mind coming back with me to see the other taichou?" Soifon asked as she looked over.

"The sun's about to set, would it be unreasonable to ask that I be permitted to watch it?" Vivian asked politely.

"Just this once, because I like you." Soifon replied.

"By the way, I didn't get your name, I'm Vivian Gray." Vivian replied as she extended a hand sideways at the taichou beside her.

"Sui Feng-Taichou of the Second-Division." Soifon replied.

"Her name… Is that Chinese?" Vivian wondered. "Well Ms. Sui Feng, it's nice to know that you understand my frustrations." She continued with a warm smile, and not another word was spoken as the two watched the sun slowly set.

Chapter 2 - end - so, what do y'all think, and before you start flaming me about giving his reaper-blade 2-4 different spirits, I have deep rooted plans for that regarding the future! Anyway, I know in some places I progress kinda quickly, while slowly in others, but it's hard to get all the information out there, and with the story plans I have in mind, I needed to explain a lot in this chapter… Unfortunately I ran out of room, so more explanations later, and maybe a hint of plot, who knows.

(Shunpo or phantom sprint, which is faster? Huh…)

Disclaimer: I do not own bleach, but if I did, there would be a Soul Society for every continent that supports life, each with different versions and references to the soul-cutting blades, all rights to Tite Kubo


	3. The Problem

**Chapter 3: The Problem**

Leon was nervous, he wasn't entirely fond of standing before fifteen Soul Guard Generals each of which he knew well enough after eight years of working alongside them, and here he was in front of a roster of people just as formidable none of which knew basically anything about him. The silence was deafening, and he began to tremble under the silent stares of the taichou surrounding him. Finally Kyoraku broke the excruciating silence. "You can relax, we won't kill you or even seal your powers away. We just need to think of how to handle the point of why you're here." He spoke out instilling a weak sense of calm in the young Soul Guard.

"Well, can I begin the explanation yet?" Leon asked nervously. "I don't know how long I can stand you all looking at me like that." He continued as he rubbed his arms.

"We still have to wait for Soifon-Taichou." Ukitake spoke up.

A few more moments of uncomfortable silence passed before the doors to the meeting hall finally opened for Soifon and Vivian to enter. "Ah, and she finally arrives, Leon, whenever you're ready." Kyoraku stated cheerfully.

"Alright, Vivian, can I ask that you keep silent until I'm done explaining, it's nothing against you, but you weren't there for the incident in Alaska." Wham, again a revelation he didn't seem to want to share with her.

"Whatever you say." Vivian replied dully as she took a step back, and Soifon gave her a compassionate look before glaring at Leon.

"Alright, I'll start with a warm spring afternoon, about eight years ago, it was toward the end of May, and I remember dreading the exams coming up at school, so I spent a lot of my time at the library sharpening up on the material. On that particular day though, it was strange. Growing up, I could always sense unseen presences, and on a few occasions I saw them, Soul Guards killing banshees, or as you call them, hollows." Leon explained. "But that spring night there were none of the people wearing black armor when a monster appeared several feet ahead of me. I remember feeling cold, scared, like I was staring into the eyes of death itself, and that's when I heard it, the voice of death, willing, urging me to survive." He continued.

"Interesting, what happened next?" Kyoraku asked as he rested his head on one hand as he leaned forward in his chair.

"Well, the monster turned in my direction before I had time to wonder if I had imagined the voice or if I was just going crazy, but I did know one thing immediately, I had to escape, I had to survive." Leon continued. "So I ran a few blocks, but I wasn't in the best shape then, and I tired quickly. The monster was right on my tail when one of them finally showed up, a tall fierce king of a man, his movements so fluid, so well controlled. It was like seeing a superhero in person, I watched, mesmerized by his incredible skill, and I knew at once, that whatever he was, I had to be one too." He continued.

"So what happened next?" Isane asked.

"Well, normally the people fighting those monsters would be too busy with themselves to even notice me, but I took a chance, and I called up to the man. He saw me and he dropped down to my location where we locked eyes for a while, or maybe it was just a second, I'm not really sure, but it almost felt like we were saying an entire conversation in that one glance." Leon explained. "I asked him everything, and he told me everything I asked about, and then he completely surprised me… As if reading my mind, he said to me: "I can give you what you want, but it is a hard painful life". I didn't care, and I started to realize unconsciously that the voice I had heard before, was going to be of great importance." He continued.

"So he just offered to let you become a Shinigami?" Renji asked before covering his mouth while Byakuya gave his fukutaichou a stern glare for speaking out.

"Well yeah, so I took it, and instantly I felt transformed." Leon replied before Rukia took a step forward.

"Excuse me, but if I may, how exactly did your powers awaken?" Rukia asked out of curiosity.

"To be honest, all he did was place a hand on my head, and I felt everything click inside me. It was unlike anything I had ever felt." Leon replied. "I asked him if this was alright, knowing that he was part of some kind of army, and I was basically an unauthorized recruit, but he reassured me it was alright, and so we parted ways that night, I had to get home, and he had to get back to wherever he came from." He continued.

"So what happened next?" Komamura asked.

"Well… I told my family what happened." Leon replied, and nearly every Shinigami in the room widened their eyes.

"You did what!?" Soifon shouted.

"Well I couldn't lie to them, but that's not the point, the point is they believed every word I said, I could always feel when there were spirits around, and on a number of occasions they could also feel their presence, so it didn't seem all that farfetched that I became something of a Grim Reaper." Leon replied. "Anyway, when I went to school the next day it was shocking to say the least that the man from the night before, Mr. Damien West had coincidentally showed up as a substitute teacher." He continued.

"Did his presence seem off to the rest of the students?" Byakuya replied, but Leon shook his head.

"Nah the teacher was pretty sickly and was going to be her last year, it wasn't anything for there to be a sub show up. After school, he helped me into my spiritual body, and for the following few days after school he helped me become a Soul Guard. Then it was training, and more training, and it wasn't long before we tracked a demonic banshee as it fled toward a neighboring town. That's where we met Vivian, the banshee could sense her faint but present spiritual signature, and tried to feed on her for a quick recharge to continue fight, but it was something else entirely…" Leon explained before turning and flashing Vivian a quick smirk. "The banshee came down, and once it got close, her faint spiritual signature intensified dramatically, and she forced the banshee to the ground with her overwhelming power." He continued with a warm smile of his first memory of Vivian. "The impressive part was she was still practically a kid, only eleven at the time. Well Damien picked up on that as well, and he offered her to become like us… But…" His expression darkened as he tried carefully to pick his next words.

"What happened?" Toshiro asked as he narrowed his eyes.

"She didn't want to, the monster, which she had never seen before that night had scared her badly even though Damien saved her life… But he wouldn't have it, and I watched in stunned horror as he used his reaper-blade on her, driving the cold hard edge through her back, and instantly, without the formal training I went through, however quickly, she was like us." Leon explained shakily.

"So he forced her to become one?" Kyoraku asked as he lifted his head off his hand.

"Yeah, and he also essentially kidnapped her too, claiming the security of the afterlife outweighs the suffering of one simple girl, and reluctantly I went along with it, because it was Damien…" Leon paused as he gave Vivian the same apologetic look he gave her plenty of times in the past. "So we eventually got involved with the political aspects of the whole situation when the others found out about us." He continued solemnly.

"Wait, a Shinigami kidnapped a little girl?" Isane asked horrified by the revelation.

"Yeah, and to think he was once a well respected general, so naturally there was a difference in opinion, about half of them believed he was right, Vivian was and still is a prodigy, and her strength could very well still be an asset to them, but then there were others like me, we believed and still do believe it was wrong to force her into this. The disagreement became a rift, the rift, a conflict, and that conflict became a civil war. Our side won, but… Many good people were lost, and Damien managed to escape, but not before taking Vivian's life. He claimed that if he couldn't have her strength, no one could have it. We were fortunate enough though, that in the forty-eight day war, General Parker who had been thought to be lost, emerged from hiding, and because enough time had not passed, he was just barely able to revive her…" Leon explained with a heavy heart.

"Tch, there you go again! You weren't even there when I died, and yet you act like it was some great traumatizing experience, you always make everything about you." Vivian barked.

"I do not, and I was torn up when you died!" Leon shouted back.

"Hey, focus!" Kyoraku exclaimed. "Now, what happened next?" He asked.

"Well we were required to actually spend a few years there at the Soul Republic. There we were trained formally in their ways as it wasn't really our intentions, or so they believed, to gain this kind of power in life." Leon explained. "About three years ago we returned to the living world, but I was sent to Alaska to work out an issue with demonic banshees organizing against us." He continued, and Kurotsuchi held a hand up.

"Forgive me Leon-kun, but this makes yet another reference to demonic banshees, would it suffice to say that they are your Menos Grande?" Kurotsuchi asked with a wide grin.

"Look, banshees I guess are our equivalent to your hollows. If these Menos things are stronger versions, than I'd say it's likely, I mean, do they have three basic forms?" Leon asked irritable, with each second that ticked by, he found himself more and more creeped out by the strange taichou.

"Ah, and your terminology?" Kurotsuchi asked.

"Ugh, weakest was Legion, most of these just looked like gigantic banshees, then there's the Specters, these were pretty tough, and were easily able to give a major a run for their money, and finally were the Devils, there have been Devils discovered that outclass even some generals." Leon replied with a glare at the creepy taichou.

"Moving on." Byakuya stated regally.

"R-right, so I helped with the problems with the demonic banshees, and a few weeks ago I learned about Damien's hand in the sudden focused efforts of the banshees, that somehow, he not only managed to control them, but he even helped them learn the ways of the Soul Guards, and that effectively increased their already ridiculous soul power by leaps and bounds, complete with ascendance and some even had transcendence." Leon explained. "From there we managed to capture one of these cross-breeds, and we got only one discernable word from it… Japan, and so I went to gather Vivian, because I knew she would want a piece, and then well, you know what happens next." He finished nervously.

Again, that wasn't the reason he fed her a few nights before when he had said they wanted her to go as well. Just how many lies was she going to be forced to swallow and cover up? "It's as he says." Vivian added on dryly.

"Kyoraku-Soutaichou, perhaps until we can verify certain elements in his story, I think it best they remain here, and separated." Soifon spoke up.

"What!?" Leon exclaimed angrily.

"Alright." Vivian agreed.

"Vivian!?" Leon exclaimed.

"What! Look we're in their world now, and we need to play by their rules, and besides, you've mainly lied to me and ordered me around like you were my General and I your Major! Well you know what, you don't own me!" Vivian shouted. "God I can't believe I was actually happy to see you when you came back." She continued coldly.

Leon gave Vivian a defensively shocked look before turning back to Kyoraku. "Where can I stay?" He asked with a scowl as he tried to stop shaking with anger.

"Kyoraku-Soutaichou, perhaps it would be for the best for taichou more tolerant of our guests to play host to their being here?" Toshiro asked as he turned to the First-Division Taichou.

"Hmm, you're right, any volunteers aside from Kurotsuchi-Taichou?" Kyoraku asked bored by the events.

"I will extend proper hospitality to young Pain-san." Byakuya spoke up.

"And I will take on Vivian-chan." Soifon spoke up with a glare at Leon.

"Sold, alright everyone may be dismissed." Kyoraku replied before the Shinigami began to file out.

"Leon Pain, you're coming with me." Byakuya stated as he placed a hand on the young man's shoulder while he watched as Vivian left with another taichou without sparing him a final glance.

"Yeah, I know, let's just go." Leon replied as he began to follow Byakuya.

Due to the unexpected presence of two guests from a foreign Soul Society, most of the divisions stopped work early in the day, and to Leon's relief Byakuya of all people was one Taichou that decided work was more important, and after the small blowup Vivian had he didn't want to think about anything of a personal nature, and was thankful Byakuya was actually continuing the interrogation. "Can you tell me more about this Damien West?" He asked as he simultaneously worked on his paperwork.

"Well he has the ability to release his reaper-blade completely, ascendance and transcendence… Aside from that he's an expert practitioner of the Demonic Arts, and his master of scythe work is on par with even the Master General herself! Add on that he's pretty good in hand to hand, and well… He's extremely dangerous, and the one time I fought him… I had help I won't be having this time around." Leon explained dismally.

"And what is the likelihood he'll come here?" Byakuya asked while Renji kept silent while glancing back and forth between the two.

"Well statistically speaking, roughly sixty percent, but logically speaking… Well not gonna lie, but it's probably guaranteed." Leon replied bitterly. "So what can you tell me about this Aizen guy?" He asked with a hint of nervous curiosity in his voice.

"Almost a decade ago now he tried to lay waste to an entire city in the hopes of reaching into the dimension of our Soul King… We stopped him, but not without series casualties… He's been locked up ever since. Not much is known about his capabilities however… His shikai can render one under complete hypnosis, his bankai we've never seen." Byakuya explained as even the stoic taichou grimaced at the memories of the winter war.

"He didn't use it or he doesn't even have one?" Leon asked in reply.

"We don't know which it is. He's been locked down tightly as we cannot find a way to execute him, but you should also know… The reason for that was an experimental device developed by Urahara Kisuke." Byakuya replied as he grimaced at what was to come next, but it shocked him to hear who it came from.

"Let me guess, the _Breakdown Sphere_?" Leon asked with a hardened gaze while Byakuya's eyes widened.

Though a translated title was not widely heard of in the Seireitei, Kuchiki Byakuya knew the words were the foreign name of the Hogyoku. "There were, and may still be others…" He uttered weakly.

"Still though, I think that basically cements it, but the question is, why stop with knocking off the Soul King as you put it? I mean, what will he do if he even achieves his goals?" Leon was once again asking himself more than anyone.

"Sir, wouldn't Aizen still need to harvest the million souls needed? Could even he manage that before we stop him, and even then, what's to say he'll even team up with West-san?" Renji asked gruffly as he narrowed his eyes on Leon.

"We can't be sure, not until Damien makes a move… All you can do is hope you'll be ready when he does." Leon replied grimly.

Meanwhile in the Second-Division Soifon was receiving an earful from the still outraged Vivian. "I mean I know I'm a few years younger than him, but I'm not his daughter, I'm not even his sister! How dare he treat me like a misunderstanding weak child!" She shouted as she paced back and forth in front of Soifon's desk, yet another taichou that took her work more seriously than most. "You understand what I mean right!?" She continued before looking to a bewildered Soifon.

"U-uh, I guess?" Soifon replied unsure if she should comfort the poor girl or arrest her for aggressive rowdiness.

Vivian kept pacing though. "I mean, how does he even have two spirits anyway!" She shouted as she slammed her fist into her palm just as Omaeda entered Soifon's office holding a small stack of folded clothes.

"Soifon-Taichou, I brought a spare shihakusho as requested." Omaeda stated as he placed the clothes on the desk, and with a wave of Soifon's hand Omaeda ran out of the room like a scared dog, and for good reason, though she hadn't yet he knew he'd get an earful from her for being absent at the time of the foreigners' arrival.

"Here, that uniform looks rather uncomfortable." Soifon stated as she handed the clothes to Vivian.

After Soifon helped Vivian into the shihakusho, Vivian continued her rant. "And now, no offense, but we're stuck here because he thought we should be sociable!" She shouted before throwing her arms up in frustration. "But… Then I remember that he's always very careful in his decisions… And if he felt it necessary to hide some things from even me… I shouldn't blame him." She uttered more and more softly before she began to tremble with guilty shame.

"Are you finished?" Soifon asked warmly.

"Ugh, what's wrong with me? Why do I blow up on him so easily?" Vivian asked as she stared out at the twilit sky.

"If you'd rather not discover that for yourself I could possibly give you the answer, but upon hearing it you'd wish you hadn't asked." Soifon replied sympathetically.

"Do you… You don't think he hates me, do you?" Vivian asked worriedly as she turned to the normally cold taichou.

"No, but I admit I'm not entirely knowledgeable in this area." Soifon lied, true she didn't have many people she'd call her friends, but she could see that Vivian looked the same way she did when Yoruichi first left. "Even then though, if he hates you after just one minor argument it just means he really didn't value your friendship." She continued with a reassuring grin.

"Yeah, you're right, I guess I just might be insane." Vivian replied as she rubbed her eyes.

"You look tired, why don't you go get some rest in the women's barrack, down the hall." Soifon offered, and reluctantly Vivian let out a yawn.

"Mm, thank you, I didn't get a chance to sleep last night." Vivian replied. "Good night Sui Feng." She finished with a weary smile before leaving the room.

Leon was a different story as he laid awake in the men's barrack of the Sixth-Division, he couldn't sleep, or rather, he wouldn't let himself sleep. Sleep would mean dreams, and with everything else he was thinking about, surely they'd be horrid nightmares, but that wasn't all there was to his self-imposed sleeplessness. An unknown threat, and unseen danger, yet to reveal itself, the nature of Damien's scheme, and then there was the rogue Soul Guard himself. He barely beat him last time, and he had help from other Soul Guards who knew his abilities. These people only had second-hand information. Then there was their traitor, Aizen Sosuke, he had heard a brief account of the winter war from Byakuya, but there was still a lot he didn't understand when the noble taichou chose to call it a night.

So Leon remained there allowing his mind to slowly decompress. Keeping just enough tension in his mind to keep him awake, until his mind suddenly drifted to a fragment of a memory of one of his battles earlier that day. Against that woman Soifon. "Crimson Horse, are you there?" He asked quietly as he turned to face the scythe leaning up against the wall beside his cot. There was no answer, and just trying to make contact was exhausting, and reluctantly he drifted off to a restless sleep.

Morning came too quickly for Leon, it felt like he had just closed his eyes before he woke up to a random Shinigami shouting something he couldn't understand. "What's a ryoka?" He wondered as he rubbed his eyes, but when he tried to adjust to the light now filling the barrack, his eyes picked up on the darkness just outside his window. "Night?" He wondered before his eyes darted around the room before finally resting on a wall clock. "Three-thirty!? Either these people take their duties way too seriously, or something's wrong." He decided as he jumped out of bed before grabbing his scythe.

When Leon left the offices of the Sixth-Division the chaos began to inform Leon of what was happening. While most Shinigami he passed spoke only Japanese, he did pass a few that spoke clear cut English. "An intruder? Damien!" He thought as he narrowed his eyes while he struggled to wade through the crowd of frantic Shinigami. "Oh yeah, that's his spiritual signature alright." He thought before jumping up on one of the walls lining the street. "Much better… Hmm, it's coming from the direction Vivian went in with that other Shinigami general." He realized as he broke out in a phantom sprint while gritting his teeth at the thought of Vivian trying to fight Damien West by herself. "I have to hurry, I have to make it!" He told himself over and over.

A half hour earlier, deep in the lowest level of Muken. Aizen was once again spending another bland day, or was it night, staring forward, waiting, biding his time until the perfect opportunity presented itself. All is quiet as he focuses his gaze lazily on the corner directly in front of him between the floor and the wall. That was when he first felt it, there were two others that came hours before, but this was different, stronger, like it belonged to a much higher being. "Interesting." He thought as he narrowed his gaze at the corner, focusing all of his efforts into tracking that one lone presence. A presence that made all of Seireitei buzz like a beehive of clashing reiatsus. "Just a matter of time now…" He thought as his eyes betrayed a smirk covered by restraints.

Meanwhile Vivian was following Soifon and Omaeda as they made for the secured entrance of Muken. "Good, he hasn't arrived here yet." Soifon stated with a sigh of relief when the Onmitsukido officers standing guard next to the entrance came into view.

"Sui Feng, off hand how bad would it be if that Aizen person is set free?" Vivian asked as she held her scythe in both hands.

"Extremely devastating… He'll most certainly cause a path of destruction as he makes his escape. Now are you sure it's the man you're hunting?" Soifon asked, but when she turned to the young Soul Guard she could see a horrified shock to her expression, and she looked where she was staring and she saw it, a sight that first puzzled her, then filled her with dread.

Standing shoulder to shoulder were dozens of Soul Guards, each baring the same exact face, and each casting a glare at Soifon before a smirk at Vivian. "Vivian my dear, it's been quite a while, is that really you!?" The small army called out in unison.

"You weren't lying about his ability." Soifon uttered, but the next time she turned to Vivian, a pale mask had covered her face, and her crisp blue eyes were replaced with vicious set of yellow orbs over black. "Hollowfication?" She uttered in shock.

"Get ready Damien, because I will finally pay you back for that day eight years ago!" Vivian shouted, two different voices overlapped, hers and her banshee's, both passing through a skull mask showing the world what Vivian truly was.

Chapter 3 - end - So what do y'all think? Writing this chapter was kinda difficult I admit, and I rolled the dice with how I chose to write in Soifon's character trying to mesh her usual cold attitude while recognizing a semblance of her own grief in being abandoned by Yoruichi, not quite the same circumstances, but yeah, anyway yeah, the next chapter I'll probably unveil Vivian's transcendence, and plow a little further into the main story… Still I'm trying my hardest to keep true to the canon up to date. So as of the 574th chapter of the manga, I'm sticking true as best I can to the true history as far as the manga's concerned. R&R please.

(Shunpo to bed, three chapters in less than 24 hours is hard on the mind)

Disclaimer: I don't own bleach, but if I did I wouldn't need a disclaimer (duh)


	4. Short By Seconds

**Chapter 4: Short By Seconds**

Leon was high in the air, suppressing his spiritual signature he was glaring down on the battlefield, specifically a Shinigami with beautiful red hair. "Put on their uniform you still can't hide who you are, and with your banshee contamination I have to wonder how you can justify yelling at me for hiding things." He thought as he held his ground while letting his gaze drift to the army of one Soul Guard copied dozens of times. "And Damien, I don't get it though, it's obvious that he's using transcendence, so why suppress his spiritual signature, especially now that we already know where he is?" He wondered as he gritted his teeth at the distant sight of his former teacher.

"Vivian, I see you're alive and better than I could have hoped. When I first tried to contaminate you I thought for sure you were lost, and yet here you stand, no doubt General Parker is to thank for that." Every Damien spoke out in unison.

"Leon Pain, is his power constantly draining him of reiryoku or is it a one time casting that is self-sufficient?" Byakuya asked stonily.

"They're self-sufficient alright, and trust me, it's as bad as it sounds. We better get down there… Oh, and a fair warning, if any of you draw your swords on Vivian, I'll be drawing my scythe on you." Leon replied firmly before allowing himself to drop to the ground.

"And Leon my boy, can't you take the hint that you're practically useless?" The Damiens asked with cocky smirks plastered on their faces.

"Practically useless? I'm just as much a freak of nature now as your messed up perception of perfection." Leon replied as he drew his scythe.

"It won't do any good, the original is far removed from this field of battle." One of the Damiens stated smugly.

"So they can act individually… This is troubling indeed." Soifon thought as she drew Suzumebachi.

"Well I'll have you know, I have a few more tricks figured out since our last battle, allow me to demonstrate… Fill the World With Chaos! Crimson Horse!" Leon exclaimed.

"What!?" The Damiens exclaimed in perfect unison.

"I know I don't know much about you yet, but please, just enough to force him back and I'll handle the rest." Leon called out silently to his newest reaper-blade spirit.

"Frenzy… For now that's all you get." The voice of Crimson horse filled Leon's mind as the young Soul Guard slowly opened his brown eyes with a fierce concentration swirling amidst something else, anger?

"Vivian, we need to work fast, are you with me on this?" Leon asked as he half turned back to his friend.

"With you? Tch, as if, just stay out of my way!" Vivian shouted before rushing past Leon in the blink of an eye. As usual, her sheer speed in the art of phantom sprint was something else entirely, and for a brief second Leon lost track of her movements completely. "Break Loose! Thunder Hawk!" She called out when she was within a few yards of her many targets, and once the massive axe of wind took shape, she swung it around with all of her might. "Lightning!" She shouted in the climax of her swing, and a powerful wave of electricity plowed forth, leveling half the army in an instant.

"She's pretty strong." Soifon pointed out as she stepped to Leon's side. "Clearly you can tell she's not one needing your protection." She added on with a hint of disgust.

Leon seemed to ignore the Second-Division taichou for a moment, but when Vivian let out another attack, he turned back to Soifon. "Surely someone experienced as you should see… She can't win at this rate." He replied with a scowl as he held up his massive scythe. "Get ready, because it'll happen in just a few seconds." He continued as he crouched down low to the ground.

"What is he talking about? Even Kurosaki-san isn't this skilled." Soifon thought as she watched Vivian's flawless movements, every swing, every carefully calculated release of power, but yes, there was something off now that she took a closer look. "I see a problem, but I don't see _the_ problem." She continued as she kept her eyes glued to the battlefield.

Vivian kept up a fierce assault as the clones just seemed to stand there and take the onslaught, and now others were joining in, Shinigami from every division, each struggling to smother the enemy. "Tell me Soifon, where do you hold Aizen, and can it withstand an army?" Leon asked as he turned back to Soifon.

"That information is privileged to the seated officers of the Second-Division." Soifon replied shortly. "Capable though you may be, and even with your familiarity to the enemy, I can't permit you to know." She continued firmly.

Leon scowled, but said nothing more as he turned to the battle unfolding. "She seems content to let her pride get in the way… That could be dangerous." He thought as he let out a sigh. "Listen, he said it himself he is not on this battlefield, but that is a betrayal unto himself. You see, in both releases of his power, his spiritual signature, his reiatsu, it grows incredibly in size to encompass a very large area, like say, the entire city we're standing in now." He continued. "But do you feel that, or rephrasing, do you _not_ feel it?" He asked.

"Hmm, he's suppressing it." Soifon replied irritably.

"Yeah, but why, with such a passive ability, he shouldn't feel the need… He's being extra cautious." Leon replied, and with a light grunt in two different voices, Leon jerked his head toward where he last saw Vivian, not there. He looked around quickly while he began to try and feel out her spiritual signature. There, up in the sky, blood trickling from a cut on her forearm while she panted heavily. "She's reached her limit. Let's go!" He exclaimed as he prepared to phantom sprint toward the nearest target, but before he could take another he felt Soifon's spiritual signature rush by him. "And the bate has been taken." He thought with a triumphant smirk, and with some lightning footwork, he doubled back. "Admittedly, it's not going to be easy to find the prison on foot, but with their lack of cooperation, I have no choice." He thought as he ran as fast as he could. "It won't take long for that woman to figure me out. I have to hurry." He uttered as he willed himself faster.

"Leon, I'm confused, didn't you want my power to help your friend?" Crimson Horse asked from the deep recesses of his soul.

"I did, but that was before I had a better chance to evaluate the situation… I think the army back there is a diversion, and his real target is Aizen after all. We need to stop him though, if they get together, there's no telling how bad things will get." Leon replied mentally before spotting something off in a forest still within the walls of the Seireitei.

Leon went to investigate, and there surrounded by an ocean of trees, was a formidable fortress saturated in residual energies closely matching another of his least favorite Shinigami. "This is it alright, and by the looks of things…" He paused as he looked around the general area, seven meters straight out in all directions from the complex was a charred ring of soot staining the ground. "So ordinarily this place would be kept from all manners of perception with binding seals… He's already been here, I have to hurry!" He thought as he phantom sprinted into the prison.

Meanwhile back on the battlefield Soifon had instantly picked up on Leon's trick, but she had gotten too close to the army of clones, and she couldn't break away. "That son of a bitch, he doesn't care at all what happens to his friend after all!" She thought angrily, the only consolation to her fury being that as false souls, the clones fell to only one strike from Suzumebachi's shikai.

By now Vivian's mask had shattered, and she was quickly being pushed against the ropes. "D-damn, maybe I should have paid Leon more thought just now, the look in his eyes… Ugh, he obviously knows how to fight Damien better than I do!" She thought as she struggled just to keep her soul power flowing.

As Vivian kept fighting, she was rapidly reaching her limit, and in one horrifying moment, her strength failed, her eyes went dark, and with an agonizing pain in her stomach, a blade came out through the front of her body. "Vivian-chan!" Soifon shouted when she saw the young Soul Guard collapse to her knees just before Byakuya Kuchiki dispatched the copy stabbing the girl.

"Kotetsu-Taichou! Here now!" Byakuya called out, and within seconds the Fourth-Division taichou was standing before him.

"I'm on it Kuchiki-Taichou, go the others need you." Isane replied.

Back in Muken Leon was getting more and more tense as he raced through vacant halls. "Damn, I can see the signs of battle all too clearly… These poor souls didn't stand a chance." He thought before coming to a large ornately decorated door, no doubt adorned in similar enchantments that surrounded the prison, but the door was not closed as Leon knew it should be, and cautiously he went on through. "I don't know much about this Aizen person, but if he has his sword I'll need nothing short of my transcendence to fight him and Damien." He realized before sealing his reaper-blade. "Pale Horse, I'll need your help." He called out to his mind, but a second later his vision grew dark, and he was suddenly experiencing a feeling of falling before he braced himself for impact, but instead of landing on cold hard tile, he fell on warm hard rocky ground, and he knew immediately he was in his inner world. "What's going on, why have you brought me here?" He asked angrily as he looked around for the spirits.

His inner world would be a sight to behold if anyone besides him could enter. He was standing alone on a patch of floating ground amidst a sea of darkness and floating boulders motionless against the limitless black. On his patch of ground though, he stood at the dead center where the island extended out four directions. "Leon Pain… Do you know why we brought you here so suddenly?" Pale Horse called out as he slowly came into view. The spirit was an elderly man whose color had long drained out of him, on one occasion Leon had said he looked like a walking corpse to which the spirit didn't deny the fact.

Then a voice came from behind Leon. "I don't think he'll understand yet even if we tell him Death." It was Crimson Horse, a young girl with fiery red hair.

"Tell me, and see if I can figure it out for myself." Leon replied.

"Very well, you are not to use my transcendence in the battles to come." Pale Horse replied smugly.

"What!?" Leon shouted as he took a step toward his older reaper-blade spirit, but like he had seen so many times in the past, the pathway that the spirit was standing at the end of merely extended to prevent Leon from reaching him. "Don't abandon me old man!" He shouted angrily.

"I'm not… I'm teaching you a lesson." Pale Horse replied, and with just another blink from Leon he was back in the material world.

"Pale Horse? Crimson Horse?" Leon called out to his inner world, but only silence returned as he skidded to a stop. "Fine! I'm pretty decent in the Demonic Arts and hand to hand combat, who needs a couple of spoiled reaper-blade spirits!" He shouted before pressing on.

"Death, maybe we should have told him why, he seems really angry with us." Crimson Horse stated ruefully.

"That he is, but all feelings pass in time, or would you rather he get us all killed… Those two included?" Pale Horse asked. "You are still a young spirit, War, so long before you has death seen and claimed, you have much to learn yet, as do our brother and sister before they can awaken, but first Leon needs to learn that while we can do much for him, he needs to do more himself!" He continued as he motioned to the other pathways.

"I hope you're right Death." Crimson Horse replied solemnly.

As Leon raced through the halls of Muken, Vivian struggled against clone after clone. "There's just no end to them… Could he be close by generating them to overwhelm us?" She wondered as she grimaced at the situation.

"Gray-san!" Vivian looked around quick before catching Rukia and Ichigo in the crowd. "Over here!" She called out before swinging her massive wind axe at another few clones that easily dodged the now much slower attack.

"Where's Leon, shouldn't he be here helping you?" Rukia asked when she and Ichigo reached Vivian.

"I don't need his help, I'm a fully capable Soul Guard perfectly fit to take care of myself!" Vivian shouted as she blocked another series of attacks from the clones before taking them out.

"You're joking right?" Rukia asked quickly as she fended off attacking clones while Ichigo did as well.

"No, I'm tired of him treating me like a kid! I can handle my own!" Vivian shouted angrily before taking three clones out simultaneously.

"That's not how these things work Gray-san…" Ichigo replied before cutting down the last clone near them. "Now wait…" He continued as he grabbed Vivian's arm preventing her from heading on.

"Let go of me before you lose that hand." Vivian growled as she glared up at Ichigo.

"You couldn't even if you were serious, and besides, you need to hear what I have to say." Ichigo replied.

"Fine, just make it quick!" Vivian shouted as she lowered her axe.

"Alright, on the battlefield you need to set aside petty differences with your partners and work together as a solid unit. I know it's frustrating having to rely on someone to cover your shortcomings, even more so when that person recognizes them while you don't, but the point is, you are angry at someone who values your life over his own, and if you ask me, is something a bit inexcusable." Ichigo explained, but Vivian only glared back at him.

"What do you know, I bet you smother Rukia with a similar treatment to how Leon treats me!" Vivian shouted.

"You're damn right I do! My friends are everything to me, and I would rather suffer their hatred forever than let them down!" Ichigo shouted, and Vivian's glares faltered when she saw Rukia with an agreeing expression on her face. "It may be frustrating to have your weaknesses so painfully made obvious, but it works toward two benefits. One, they show you where you need to improve, allowing you to grow stronger, but more importantly, on the battlefield, by covering your weaknesses he will keep you alive." He continued.

"I understand that, but he has hidden things from me, things that I should know but didn't until you forced him to talk!" Vivian shouted.

"Get a grip on yourself! Even when you aren't literally fighting for your life, in our line of work every day is a battle, a never ending struggle to succeed! Leon has realized that at a young age, he sees the world around him, but all you see is yourself!" Rukia shouted before running off to rejoin the battle.

"Couldn't have said it better myself." Ichigo replied before giving Vivian a stern look. "Just give it some thought." He uttered before following in Rukia's example.

Meanwhile, Leon had just entered a long white corridor, and he could feel the residual energies of Damien West clear as day. "So down here he got a little cocky, and resorted to the demonic arts." He uttered as he looked around while sprinting down the hall, and there it was, a massive door that seemed to swallow soul power. "They're both behind here, but if I can stop him from breaking the restraints, it'll give the Shinigami a chance to strengthen the security around here." He thought as he pushed with all his might on the door, and slowly, and with a groaning creak, the door open giving Leon just enough time to see Damien break all of the seals binding Aizen all at once, but he didn't use demonic arts as Leon had expected, he didn't even use his reaper-blade, for in his hands was a red sphere the size of a golf ball.

A few minutes prior a rogue Soul Guard was marching through the halls of Muken, dozens of clones phantom sprinting to overwhelmed officers of the Onmitsukido. Finally, and with little effort, the man was standing before a massive door elaborately designed to suck out all soul power. The man simply grinned at the door as he held a hand out toward it. "Ye Lord! Mask of Blood and Flesh, All Creation, Flutter of Wings, Ye Who Bears the Name of Man! On the Wall of Blue Flame, Inscribe a Twin Lotus. In the Abyss of Conflagration, Wait at the Far Heavens! Destructive Path number seventy-three, Twin Lotus Blue Fire, Crash Down!" Damien shouted before two powerful jets of blue fire shot out before slamming into the door without a mark. "Hmm, so even I can't knock this door down, perhaps I'm underestimating the efforts of these people." He thought before reaching into his pocket and pulling out a small red sphere. "Breakdown Sphere, I command this door be unlocked." He thought into the small object in his hand, and with a sound of something mechanical moving just behind the walls surrounding the door, it unlocked and budged open an inch.

Aizen was impressed to say the least, here he was expecting an army of hollows still loyal to him, but one man, and one that he never met no less, had managed to fight past the security unscathed. Aizen simply stared over at the man as he closed the door behind him. "So this is the source of the disturbance up there." He thought as his eyes once again betrayed a smirk.

Damien slowly approached the man as he kept the red sphere in his hand. "I take it you're this Sosuke Aizen I've been hearing about?" Damien asked with a grin. "I see you decided to use its power to make a rather personal change in the world." He continued as he held up the red sphere, and for once Aizen was genuinely surprised. "Ha, so you do know what this is, but do you know of its true significance?" He asked with a sinister grin.

Aizen simply stared back. "Another Hogyoku… That's interesting…" Aizen thought as he gently closed his eyes.

"Right, you can't talk with those binds, but I can help you with that." Damien replied as the sphere in his hand began to glow seconds before the single door in and out of the cell opened revealing Leon. "Unleash your prisoner." He thought to the red sphere while he glanced over at Aizen an instant before the restraints broke. "While I am further impressed by your ability to see through my carefully laid out plans, you are too late." He continued as he motioned toward Aizen.

"So that's Aizen? I gotta say, he doesn't look like much." Leon replied, but his eyes widened when he noticed a sword strapped to Damien's hip. "Is that…" He trailed off when Damien handed the sword over to Aizen.

"Apparently they couldn't destroy this either." Damien stated while Aizen unsheathed the zanpakuto.

"Damn it, why are you doing this Damien!?" Leon shouted angrily.

"Because the world needs to be reminded of the importance of their existence! For far too long people have forgotten the glorious gift it is to just be, and for that simple reason they don't deserve to live. Now, enough talk, invoke your transcendence, or die!" Damien shouted angrily as he held up his scythe before a gentle hand fell upon his shoulder.

"You set me free, allow me to repay the favor, and allow me to warm up for what will be waiting on the surface." Aizen stated calmly as he drew Kyoka Suigetsu.

"We can handle what's waiting for us, and the brat." Several Damiens replied smugly the very instant they were created. "And we are not mere illusions." They continued.

"True, my power is simply one that affects the mind, but the mind is the epicenter of the body, cripple the mind, cripple the enemy." Aizen replied calmly. "Also, I want a chance to stretch out my limbs after so long in that chair." He continued with a warm grin that creeped Leon out.

"Enough of this, Destructive Path number fifty-four, Abolishing Flames!" Leon shouted before firing a ball of light with a purple tint, but the two high class warrior dodged more on reflex than thought. "Damn it! Binding Path number sixty-one, Six Rod Prison of Light!" He called out as he tracked Damien's movements around the room, but he was too fast, and each of the six rods of light slammed into a wall on the far side of the room. "Tch, I can't even hit him…" He thought in frustration, but when Aizen appeared in front of him he was as a dear in the headlights.

"Shatter, Kyoka Suigetsu." Aizen stated calmly.

"W-what is this!?" Leon uttered as he found Vivian rapidly taking the place of the Shinigami traitor. He quickly added distance between him and Vivian, but as he looked around the illusion betrayed itself when many other Soul Guards appeared. "That's right, Byakuya Kuchiki told me Aizen's power has a devastating affect on the mind… And maybe this would have worked if more of us had come… But I can see through the deception." He thought as he drew his scythe before remembering what Pale Horse had said, and he returned his scythe to his back with a scowl.

"Aizen, enough fooling around, we need to move!" Damien shouted before holding his hand toward the ceiling. "Destructive Path number eighty-eight! Flying Dragon-Striking Heaven-Shaking Thunder Cannon!" He called out before firing a condensed bomb of soul power at the ceiling.

Out in the Seireitei the Shinigami had managed to defeat most of the clones when a god-awful explosion tore up from a distant forest. "What the hell is going on over there?" Vivian asked as she stepped to Soifon's side.

"That… That's the hidden location of Muken… This has all been a diversion!" Soifon exclaimed as she went to move, but a second later she stopped when she saw two figures race through the sky with a third hot on their trail. "Is that…" She trailed off when she watched the third figure cut the first two off.

"It's him, it's Leon!" Vivian exclaimed as she looked up through widened eyes.

Up in the air, Leon was throwing all but his ascendance and transcendence at the two rogues, but he wasn't fast enough without them to keep up, cutting them off was beginning to seem like a courtesy they paid him. "No chance for physical combat, no chance of either release, and I can't give them time to get away while reciting an incantation… Great time to abandon me guys!" He called out into his inner world.

"Unh? Is it time to wake up already?" A young woman asked sleepily from within the inner world.

"What!?" Leon uttered out loud as he came to a stop.

"Can I just go back to sleep, I don't feel very well, and I'm really tired." The woman replied with a yawn and a sniffle.

"No, I have a small task for you, but if you help me, a promise I'll give you a good long break, how's that sound?" Leon asked as he relied mainly on his skills with his sealed scythe to fight.

"Hmm? Alright, but you know how this goes… I need to hear my name from you yourself before I give you anything." The woman replied sleepily.

"Just stay awake long enough to hear it…" Leon replied mentally before sliding back through the air. "Infect All That Draw Breath! Black Horse!" He called out, but this time the scythe changed, he found himself in a doctor's coat, his weapon was nowhere to be seen. "Is this it?" He wondered as he stared down at the plain lab coat.

"And another different release… Perhaps you might have had potential after all…" Damien uttered as his nose began to run.

"Damien West was it, do you feel that?" Aizen asked as he stared down at his hands.

"What, he might have a general class soul power, but he's using only his ascendance, we can beat him easily!" Damien replied before going into a coughing fit seconds before his stomach began to churn. "Wait a minute… Ha, of course! I get it now, first Death, then War, and now Pestilence… I take it you have a White Horse up your sleeve?" He asked as he wiped the snot from his nose.

"Who knows, I just call them out as they speak to me, there could be hundreds more for all I know." Leon replied casually. "Black Horse, what can you tell me about your power?" He asked as he tried to keep a confident smirk on his face.

"Hmm? Don't use it near your friends?" Black Horse asked sleepily.

"Kinda figured that much." Leon replied.

"Well, try calling out an illness, while not permanent, they will believe they have it even if their minds know better." Black Horse replied.

"Really!? Wow that is incredibly dangerous." Leon uttered as his eyes widened. "Alright, pneumonia!" He shouted, and while at first he thought his eyes were playing tricks on him, he soon accepted the spores coming off of his coat as a sign of attack.

"West-san we cannot fight him with our current abilities. Might I suggest retreat?" Aizen asked smugly as he held a portion of his shihakusho to his face covering his mouth and nose.

"So he saw through it that quickly? Maybe their fear in him isn't misplaced… I thought that because I could see though that illusion the others were weak minded, but had other Soul Guards come with me would I have been able to see the truth? I definitely shouldn't underestimate him anymore than Damien." Leon thought nervously as he held his ground.

"You're right, our job is done here anyway." Damien replied as he opened a black gate in the sky before the two rogues left the Seireitei.

"You fool!" Soifon shouted up at Leon as she raced up at him. "You were right there and you let them escape!" She shouted as she pulled back Suzumebachi in her shikai form.

"Tch the dog starts barking again…" Leon thought irritably as he glared down at Soifon. "Migraine!" He shouted down at the Second-Division taichou forcing her to slow her approach as wave after wave of throbbing pain rocked her head all of a sudden.

"W-what is this…" Soifon asked in a strained voice as she gripped her head with her free arm.

"The basic attack ability of my newest reaper-blade spirit. The reason I let them go is that of the three spirits I can communicate with, and I'll use your terms to simplify, only one can go into bankai, the others only shikai, but the thing is the one that can do bankai, and one of the other two, flat out refused to give me their power, or are you implying that I could have defeated two formidable foes with a power I barely understand?" Leon asked angrily as the lab coat vanished before a scythe appeared on his back.

"You could have tried…" Soifon replied as her headache slowly eased away.

"If I tried I would have been killed. You know that." Leon replied as he turned back toward the Sixth-Division barracks. "Oh, and before I go, I'd appreciate if you stop talking shit about me to my best friend, I don't know why she's so pissed, but tell me you really had nothing to do with it." He uttered, but this time Soifon remained silent as she continued to glare at him. "I didn't think so." He replied before glancing down at Vivian, he didn't say anything though, and with a turn of his head he broke into a phantom sprint leaving the defeated Shinigami to think on how things had played out.

Chapter 4 - end - So what do y'all think, pretty exciting chapter eh? Now before I get hate saying Vivian hollowfied better than Ichigo please, or something like dude Leon is a gary-stu, the discription of Vivian's hollowfication was made by Soifon, not me, and as for Leon's zanpakuto spirits, Black Horse will be something like… A limit break in old ff games, a great power that he won't be able to use often. Also the fourth spirit won't be coming for a while, but trust me, when he arrives the ground will shake under the heavens as he empowers Leon with the very soul of conquest. Anyway reviews please!

(Shunpo to investigate how the story will progress)

Disclaimer: I do not own bleach, but if I did I'd have artwork


	5. The Rift

**Chapter 5: The Rift**

Deep in the furthest recesses of Leon's soul was a crossroads of a sort. More a floating "x" shaped island, and at three of the points were three figures. One a pale elderly man with sickly green skin, another, a little girl with fiery red hair, and then there was the third, a beautiful but sickly looking woman with jet-black eyes. The elderly man, the senior spirit among the three spoke first. "You weren't to wake for another few years Pestilence, and in doing so you are setting Leon's progress back." Pale Horse spoke out.

"Hmm? Really now?" Black Horse asked sleepily.

"Yes, he is always quick to follow a predictable variety of combat strategies, and you indulging him today only further enforces that." Pale Horse replied.

"Is that so? Forgive me for disagreeing with you, but he has never used my power, and even if he had, the fact that there will soon be four of us multiplies the number of strategies by four, and ever then, is it not our job to help him? Forcing him into a fight against two foes alone is hardly what I'd call assisting our partner." Black Horse explained as she rubbed her forehead.

"That is not for you to decide Pestilence!" Pale Horse shouted back.

"Oh, and what'll you do if I do make such decisions, I am one of a few things that even you can't kill, Death." Black Horse replied as she narrowed her eyes into slits of pure darkness while a cocky grin formed on her lips.

"That remains to be seen Pestilence, and learn your place before you infuriate me into transcending." Pale Horse replied.

Black Horse let out a low whistle. "So you plan to fight me yourself? Are you forgetting that elderly often have many health concerns? A heart murmur, trouble breathing, osteoporosis, liver failure… You get the idea." She explained, and while she was explaining things, Pale Horse felt nasty symptoms of each of the conditions Black Horse mentioned off hand.

"This child… She needs to learn her place!" Pale Horse thought angrily as he glared at the younger spirit.

"Shut up, I'm trying to sleep!" A fourth spirit shouted, and the three others turned to the last extension of the island.

"Forgive us Conquest, go back to sleep." Crimson Horse replied before glaring at the other two spirits. "You two are being a bit noisy." She continued quietly.

"Scolded by a child, dear little sister you are too mean." Black Horse whined back before having a coughing fit followed by three sneezes.

"Grow up then, sheesh!" Crimson Horse growled.

"Quiet!" The fourth spirit shouted as he threw three rocks that struck each of the other spirits square in their foreheads.

"Sorry…" The three spirits replied in unison.

The following morning Leon awoke to find the day already started and the barrack empty except for a few Shinigami with minor injuries. "Good morning!" He called out with a friendly wave.

"Good morning guest-san." One of the Shinigami replied.

"Huh? Oh no, my name is Leon." He replied as he walked over before leaning against the wall. "You guys know what I should do?" He asked casually.

"Well it would probably be wise for you to meet with Kuchiki-Taichou." The Shinigami replied in a friendly manner.

"Thanks, and get well soon!" Leon called back as he ran for the door to the hallway. Three times he had to stop for directions before he was finally standing in front of the taichou's door. "Excuse me, Mr. Kuchiki?" He asked as he knocked on the door.

"Enter." Byakuya replied, and Leon obediently did as he was told.

"I'm surprised you're here, I figured for sure a meeting would be held to discuss what happened and how to proceed." Leon began as he sat down in front of Byakuya's desk.

"It has already been held, we taichou are merely on recess as we make individual preparations for what is to come." Byakuya replied as he kept looking over a few pieces of paper written on in Japanese.

"What kind of preparations, and what is to come?" Leon asked nervously.

"In short, war… I am choosing those capable of handling themselves when the time comes… Every taichou is doing this." Byakuya explained grimly.

Leon knew, though they came from different worlds, they approached problems the same, and if all the strongest were getting involved, then things must be looking grim indeed. "Do we know how to proceed?" Leon asked as he tried to shut out his nervousness, all of his insecurities, and above all, his weaknesses. He had to steel himself for what he knew was about to come next.

"We need to hunt them down, and I'm sure you know where they fled to." Byakuya replied sternly.

"I do, the Dark-World, the home of the banshees." Leon replied with a grimace. Many Soul Guards he had met in his war had gone and died in the Dark-World, and even those with transcendence had suffered horrific injuries, some severe enough to force an early retirement.

"Indeed… Hueco Mundo is an unforgiving land to those ill prepared to face death." Byakuya replied, and Leon couldn't resist cracking a grin.

"I'll always trust my life with Death." Leon replied as he nodded back at his scythe.

Byakuya didn't appreciate the joke as much, but as Leon was a guest he ignored it. "Your presence and that of your friend is also requested." He continued.

"Ah, right, this is all our fight now… No denying that we're stuck with each other for who knows how long." Leon replied with a sigh. "So when's the next meeting or do we go straight for the Dark-World?" He asked as he stood up.

"We will be meeting the other taichou at the Twelfth-Division laboratories. There Kurotsuchi-Taichou will open a Garganta." Byakuya replied as he gathered the papers in one small stack. "I am finished, my fukutaichou will meet us there. However I must select a few Shinigami to come with us on this mission." He continued as he led Leon out of the office.

Soifon and Vivian were going through a similar process as Vivian helped the taichou evaluate how to select the members of her division to head into the Dark-World. "I must say you have an amazing insight as to how I was planning to do this all along, I'm really impressed." Soifon stated as she looked over a roster of Shinigami.

"Thanks, I was taught by one of the best… General Kyle Frost… Oh man he was so fine, but he already had a wife, but I was fine with it, I was content with just being near him, and when he taught me what he knew I was quick to take it all in… But… He died in the war… Killed by a fellow general who believed Kyle to be an enemy because Damien used his ascendance to appear as him during an earlier battle." Vivian replied as she relived the lamented memory. "He was like… A cross between you and that guy Urahara-san." She continued absentmindedly.

"Don't mention that bastard if you will." Soifon replied coldly.

"Sorry, but it's just, he was a master of stealth, and his personality was so energetic, it was a real mood booster being around him. He… He told me that many years later when I die of natural causes… I could join his battalion! Oh man if he was still alive… But I guess I'd still have a long wait." Vivian rambled with a melancholy smile.

"You done?" Soifon asked with a grin.

"Oh, s-sorry, I just… Never mind. So about this one here, what about her?" Vivian asked.

"Hmm, yeah, we could use her too, and that completes the list." Soifon replied as she looked over the decisions. "Alright, I'll go round up the members of our division coming with us." She continued as she stood up.

"_Our_ division?" Vivian asked with a grin.

"Gomen, I'm used to speaking with people in the division." Soifon replied as the two left her office.

Leon had to stop several other Shinigami for directions as he headed for the Twelfth-Division barracks. "This place is much smaller than the Soul Republic, but why's it gotta be so damn confusing?" Leon wondered as he finally reached his destination. "Give me the grid over the labyrinth any day." He uttered as he passed a few Shinigami uttering words in Japanese as he passed. "And another thing, being able to understand more than a few people again would be nice too." He thought as he entered the large building of the research and development labs.

"Ah Leon-chan welcome." Kurotsuchi stated with a gleeful smile.

"Anyone ever tell you you make their skin crawl?" Leon asked as he passed the strange taichou as he looked around for Vivian. "Is she not here yet?" He wondered before catching sight of Ichigo and Rukia. "Huh, I wonder if either of them have seen her." He uttered as he walked over.

Meanwhile, Vivian was in another corner of the lab talking to Soifon. "So have you ever been to the Dark-World?" Vivian asked, but Soifon shook her head.

"We protect against hollows, it is not our job to hunt them down." Soifon replied before narrowing her eyes at the entrance just as Urahara and Yoruichi came strolling in. "So he's going to take part too… I should have figured." She uttered in frustration.

"You hate him that much?" Vivian asked with a grin.

"More than you hate Leon." Soifon replied with a strained sigh.

"Well I don't hate him per say, but he does get on my nerves every chance he gets." Vivian replied. "Though Rukia says he does it because we're partners, or something like that, or was it Ichigo?" She asked herself. "I don't know, but it got me thinking, I've kept my secret from him, so I guess I shouldn't be mad at him for having his own secrets." She continued thoughtfully.

"Oh please, they are only telling you that because the two are practically in love with each other." Soifon replied.

"No way! Really!?" Vivian asked before craning her neck to try and find Ichigo, and sure enough he was on the far side of the lab talking to Rukia.

"Furthermore they like to think that they're cooperation, being with four other people, is flawless, and don't get me wrong, those six do work well together, but since the invasion of Quincys it's been mainly those two with Abarai-Fukutaichou joining them when he can, but the other humans, they're all moving on with their lives I guess." Soifon explained. "If you let them control you, you'll never get stronger yourself." She continued firmly.

"Huh, really? You think Leon's holding me back?" Vivian asked as she turned back to Soifon.

"Yes, you don't need anyone to get stronger, but I could train you in some advanced arts if you'd like." Soifon replied.

"Now how would that be justified, you telling me I don't need anyone before offering to help?" Vivian asked with a grin.

"I just don't want someone with as much potential as you have to make a mistake by letting people like Leon smother you." Soifon replied. "I would guide you." She continued proudly.

"Hmm, well maybe I'll take you up on that offer when we get back." Vivian replied tentatively.

As individual conversations continued, with the arrival of Kyoraku everyone went silent. "Good afternoon… I won't mince words or beat around the bushes, last night at approximately four o'clock, Aizen Sosuke was set free by the ryoka now identified as Damien West. Currently your taichou are handing you a file with all the intelligence gathered on both Aizen, and this new threat as provided to us by Leon Pain." He explained. "Leon, I need you to look through the information, and think hard, but we need to know if there is absolutely anything we missed in the reports." He continued as he motioned to Leon.

"Alright let's see here… Reports suggest that the bankai can produce an infinite number of copies verifying Leon Pain's accounts, ryoka is suggested to be a master of kido to have undone the restraints. No, this isn't right, he used a Breakdown Sphere, I saw it… Mr. Kuchiki calls it a Hogyoku." Leon replied, and all eyes were glued on him. "Not really sure what all it can do, but he used its power to manifest soul power in otherwise dry souls. I found out in time that he might be the reason behind a normal human like me being born with soul power when there's no history of anyone else in my family being born with it, but these are just rumors for now. He also used the thing to induce banshee contamination. My friend Vivian is an example I guess." He continued dryly. "Aside from that, if I understand it correctly, it has the power to break the boundaries of reality." He finished before looking over the rest of the report. "Everything else is just as I said, oh, but I should not that just because he set Aizen free with the Breakdown Sphere instead of demonic arts, it doesn't mean he isn't a master of them, that's still very well likely." He concluded before handing the report back to Kyoraku.

"Thank you Pain-san. Now we will all be heading into Hueco Mundo, but in the event we get separated, stick together." Kyoraku replied, and for some reason Vivian couldn't comprehend, he let his gaze settle on her as if she was the one person he was addressing with that comment.

"Kyoraku-Soutaichou, I am ready." Urahara called out as a large gate similar to the one they all saw last night opened before them.

"Alright, for now stick to your divisions! We'll break into smaller squads when we arrive. Now move out!" Kyoraku exclaimed.

As the Shinigami marched into the great opening before them, Leon stayed back as he fixated his gaze on the massive black hole. Never before had he set foot in the world of the banshees, and he was less than confident it would be a pleasant experience. Still, he had a duty to these people now, the man he was hunting had released a man they had hunted themselves. There would be no backing out, and with a heavy sigh filled with anxiety, he sprinted into the portal.

The Dark-World wasn't much different than what he had expected, lifeless ground as far as the eye could see with a few dead trees sprouting up every so often, and the sky, though there had been a significant delay in time while in the Dongai Precipice World, he could tell that no dawn would come in this unforgiving world. A barren wasteland that he soon realized he was alone in. "Huh? Where is everyone?" He wondered as panic began to set in. How could they have been separated already? Was there a turn he missed in-between here and the Seireitei? He tried to think back to when the last time he saw a Shinigami was, but the air was thick and heavy with unfamiliar spiritual signatures, most of which were daunting by themselves, but as he concentrated his senses, he was horrified to realize that three were heading his direction.

Leon knew he wouldn't get far even if he started running the very instant he arrived, and decided to dig in for the long haul. Unsure if he'd survive let alone win, the only thing he knew was that he'd try. "I need to know now, if any of you are listening, am I alone?" He called out to his inner world.

"I'll give you my strength!" Crimson Horse exclaimed.

"Great, Fill the World With Chaos! Crimson Horse!" Leon exclaimed before the scythe he was drawing changed size before wafting up a black smoke.

The spiritual signatures were coming in fast, less than ten seconds by Leon's count. He knew that he'd have to attack fast and relentlessly when the owners finally showed up. When the three sources of the signatures showed up, Leon found himself looking upon three people, were they Shinigami? Leon wasn't sure what to make of the people wearing all white with swords at their hips. "We were rather under the impression that you were a Shinigami." One of the strange people spoke out.

"Yes, but here you are, care to identify what you are?" Another asked as she licked her lips.

"Wow, so banshees are taking up reaper-blades now huh? This just gets better and better." Leon uttered sarcastically.

"Banshees?" One of the people asked.

"He must be American." The first replied.

"A little far out of your usual hunting grounds eh?" The female asked as she drew her zanpakuto.

"I guess so." Leon replied, and all friendly chitchat stopped as an intense stare down began.

None of the spiritual beings present knew how long they had been staring for, but in an instant they all vanished into thin air. Every few seconds sharp metallic sounds rang through the air as Leon struggled against the banshees. "Well they aren't too strong, but why can't I focus?" He wondered before one of the banshees swung hard at Leon forcing the young man back when he guarded.

"You look like you're struggling. Should we make this quick?" The female banshee asked, but before anything else could be said, the four jerked their heads toward the north as a new arrival caught their attention.

"Well look what I've found here." A man in black armor asked as he smirked down at the group. "That you Leon? What, can't handle a few big game catches?" He asked cockily as he drew a single hand sickle from his hip. "You can relax now I got this." He continued as he turned to the banshees.

"General Blake, what are you doing here, and what happened to your armor? You weren't stripped of rank for sending me here unauthorized were you?" Leon asked nervously.

"Saving your ass for the first, and for the second, I simply lost it earlier in battle." Blake replied with a chuckle. "You're not hurt are you?" He asked in a more serious tone.

"N-no I'm fine." Leon replied nervously. He was busted, he had shown this general both of his releases, and here he was holding his reaper-blade in a different ascendance.

"Alright half-and-halves I'm feeling generous today so I'll let you go." Blake stated as he approached Leon before looking the younger Soul Guard over quickly, and then his eyes rose to the scythe before he cocked an eyebrow at Leon. "Well this is an interesting development." He uttered before having to block an attack from behind. "Ugh, your kind never learns!" He shouted, and without even ascendance, he swung his miniature scythe around, and cut the throats of all three banshees leaving them to disperse into spirit particles. "I tried to have mercy, but mine only goes so far." He finished before turning back to Leon.

"I take it, you want to know everything?" Leon asked as he looked up at his massive scythe before sealing it once more.

"Well you showed, now tell." Blake replied with a grin.

"Well there are three that I can communicate. That ascendance belonged to my second one Crimson Horse, there's also a Black Horse as well, but she seems to need a lot of rest, and of course you met Pale Horse while I trained for transcendence… Is this a problem?" Leon asked nervously as Blake took the scythe from his hands before examining it more closely.

"Nope, but I am jealous like no other." Blake replied with a grin. "Three spirits, and probably a fourth to go along. I would love to study you a little more closely I'll admit, but unfortunately, now's not the time for that. I came here in the hopes that it was your signature I felt. Leon, things are changing, and they're changing fast. Already the Master General is revising our practices and policies. She wants you to continue on as per the mission you and I devised, but be careful. As I'm sure you've discovered by now, we're not the only group that fights those things, and more importantly, they're not the only things we're fighting." He explained grimly.

"So what, am I supposed to spy on them and report everything to her?" Leon asked angrily.

"Oh no, on the contrary, though not her first choice, you and Vivian have both been selected as our ambassadors. Better to put aside differences of opinion and methods rather than add another enemy to the list." Blake replied.

"Wait, are you leaving already?" Leon asked, and Blake let out a sigh.

"Leon, there is a darkness spreading throughout the world… My place is needed elsewhere, as is yours, but don't worry, you'll see me again." Blake replied, and with one last handshake the two Soul Guards parted ways.

Leon struggled to take in what Blake had told him. He and Vivian were now ambassadors, and he could feel a very new pressure on his mind. In fact, he was so distracted by his thoughts he never noticed Vivian touch down in front of him. "Hey, Leon where's everyone else?" She called over as she looked around.

"Vivian? Huh, so he anticipated us coming here and managed to set an exact place for our arrival… General Blake really is a genius." Leon thought as he started walking towards Vivian. "Not really sure, but I just ran into General Blake, and apparently we now have the fun job of being ambassadors." He replied as he checked Vivian for any injuries.

"Stop that, like I'd have time for a battle between here and the Soul Society." Vivian replied.

"Well for all I know you could have, wouldn't be the first thing you willingly hid from me." Leon replied as he turned away, and he continued before Vivian had a chance to reply. "We need to move, the others need to hear what I just heard." He continued.

"How do you know for sure it was him and not Damien using his ascendance?" Vivian asked dryly.

"Well he can pretend all he wants, but I know General Blake from a copy. Besides he basically just told me that the two groups should team up. Only a villain from Saturday morning cartoons would do something that stupid." Leon replied as he started walking.

"Alright, we'll put that aside for now, but where are we going?" Vivian asked as she ran to catch up.

"Not sure really, but I felt some pretty strong spiritual signatures heading that way." Leon replied as he pointed forward. "Either our allies or enemies, either way, that's where they'll be going too." He continued.

"Your sense of direction had better have improved in Alaska!" Vivian exclaimed.

"Oh, but then I would be hiding something from you again. Can't have that now." Leon retorted as his heart rate began to accelerate.

"What's your goddamn problem!" Vivian shouted as she planted a kick on Leon's back forcing him to the ground.

"My problem!? I don't have a problem! It's you with the problem!" Leon shouted. "The street runs both ways in case you forgot!" He continued.

"What street, what are you even talking about!" Vivian shouted back.

"Your banshee contamination, you get pissed when I develop a new reaper-blade spirit without telling you even if I could have, but you, you were coherent last night which obviously means you trained to control the power. So again, I'm not pissed that you felt offended when you thought I was hiding something from you, I'm pissed because you get pissed at me when you do the exact same thing!" Leon shouted.

"Can you really blame me! A lot of Soul Guards with the contamination were executed because they were what they were. Do you honestly want me to risk something like that!?" Vivian shouted, but the look she saw in Leon's eyes was different than anything she had seen flash across those brown orbs.

"I would never rat you out in any situation… As your best friend I would take all of your secrets with me to the grave… Not that you'd believe me of course." Leon replied lowly as he climbed to his feet.

"Well you… That is…" Vivian couldn't think of anything to respond to that, he was completely right, she had been angry that he hid something from her even though he really didn't, but she had really hid something from him. Finally after a few moments of silence, she let out a heavy sigh. "You're right… I'm sorry…" She finished meekly.

"Ah, don't sweat it… And I really do want to tell you everything, but it's just that… Well sometimes there just aren't enough words in the dictionary." Leon replied with a grin. "Come on, we need to move!" He exclaimed with a smirk before vanishing using phantom sprint.

"Leon… Just like that you change my mood and yours as well… I'll have to try harder to have more patience with him." Vivian thought as she raced ahead after Leon.

Chapter 5 end - so was it really General Blake, do the Soul Guards really want an alliance with the Gotei Thirteen? Does this current question have anything at all to do with what I'm talking about? The answer to one or more of these questions and more in the next chapter. But on some seriousness what do y'all think, I know I had Vivian ramble for a minute there, but I tried to convey that in a lot of ways, Vivian and Soifon are a lot alike, and yes there is a purpose behind developing things this way, but you'll just have to read up on that later eh?

(Shunpo to help the allies, Phantom Sprint to fell my enemies)

Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach but if I did I would have done so much more with it, all rights to Tite Kubo


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